poly

See also: poły, póly, póły, pöly, poly., poly-, -poly, and полы

English

Etymology 1

Shortening of various words.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɒli/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒli

Noun

poly (plural polys)

1. Polytechnic.
2. Polyethylene (polythene).
3. Polyurethane
4. (chiefly computer graphics) Polygon.

   Hyponyms: rect, tri

   • 2009, Andrew Paquette, Computer Graphics for Artists II: Environments and Characters:

     The most common poly budget in use for games at the time of this writing is between 5,000 and 10,000 tris.

5. (uncountable) Polyester.

   a cotton-poly blend

6. (chiefly informal) Polyamory.
7. (chiefly informal) A polyamorous person.

Adjective

poly (not comparable)

1. (chiefly informal) Polyamorous.

Synonyms

• polyam (informal)

Coordinate terms

• mono

Verb

poly (third-person singular simple present polys, present participle polying, simple past and past participle polyed)

1. (transitive, video games, roguelikes) To polymorph; to transform by magic.

Derived terms

• polyless
• polypile

Etymology 2

From Latin polium, the name of a plant, perhaps Teucrium polium.

Alternative forms

• poley

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpəʊli/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈpoʊli/
• Rhymes: -əʊli

Noun

poly

1. A whitish woolly plant () of the family Labiatae, found throughout the Mediterranean.

Usage notes

• The name, with various prefixes, is sometimes given to other related species of the same genus.

Derived terms

• poly-mountain

Further reading

• “poly”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• ploy

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French

Adjective

poly (plural polys)

1. (slang) Clipping of polytechnique.
2. (slang) Clipping of polyvalent.

Noun

poly m or f (plural polys)

1. (slang) Clipping of polytechnique; itself a clipping of institut polytechnique or école polytechnique
2. (slang) Clipping of polyvalente; itself a clipping of institut polyvalent or école polyvalente