polymer

See also: Polymer

English

Etymology

From poly- +‎ -mer, from Ancient Greek πολύς (polús, “many”) + μέρος (méros, “part”). Coined by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1833, though his definition was quite different from the modern one.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɒl.ɪ.mə/
• (General American, dialects of Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑ.lɪ.mɚ/, /ˈpɑ.lə.mɚ/

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

• (Canada, dialects of the US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɒl.ə.mɚ/
• (Australia) IPA^(key): /ˈpɔl.ə.mə/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈpɒl.ə.mə/, [ˈpɔ̟l.ə.mə]
• Hyphenation: poly‧mer

Noun

polymer (countable and uncountable, plural polymers)

1. (organic chemistry) A long or larger molecule consisting of a chain or network of many repeating units, formed by chemically bonding together many identical or similar small molecules called monomers. A polymer is formed by polymerization, the joining of many monomer molecules.

   Hypernyms: molecule; compound

   Coordinate terms: monomer; oligomer; dimer, trimer, tetramer, pentamer, hexamer, heptamer, septamer, octamer, nonamer, decamer (etc, n+1)

2. A material consisting of such polymer molecules.
   • 2000 October 1, Suda Kiatkamjornwong, Wararuk Chomsaksakul, Manit Sonsuk, “Radiation modification of water absorption of cassava starch by acrylic acid/acrylamide”, in Radiation Physics and Chemistry, volume 59, number 4, →DOI, page 423:

     The water absorbency of the anionically starch-grafted AA/AM absorbent is markedly affected by the pH of the buffer solution at different ionic strengths. The charge of the ionic monomer affects the pH sensitivity of the superabsorbent polymers. An acidic superabsorbent normally ionizes at high pH but unionizes at low pH.

   • 2013 May-June, Charles T. Ambrose, “Alzheimer’s Disease”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 200:

     Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads.

Hyponyms

• biopolymer
• block polymer
• copolymer
• exopolymer
• geopolymer
• glycopolymer
• graft polymer
• heteropolymer
• homopolymer
• hydropolymer
• hydroxypolymer
• hyperpolymer
• inorganic polymer
• interpolymer
• intrapolymer
• lipopolymer
• macropolymer
• metallopolymer
• micropolymer
• monopolymer
• multipolymer
• nanopolymer
• oligopolymer
• photopolymer
• piezopolymer
• ribopolymer
• star polymer
• stereospecific polymer
• technopolymer
• terpolymer
• thermopolymer
• tribopolymer
• tripolymer

Derived terms

• autopolymer
• azopolymer
• biopolymer
• bipolymer
• block polymer
• ceramer
• colestipol
• copolymer
• exopolymer
• fluoropolymer
• geopolymer
• glycopolymer
• graft polymer
• halato-telechelic polymer
• halfmer
• heteropolymer
• hexapolymer
• homopolymer
• hydropolymer
• hydroxypolymer
• hyperpolymer
• inorganic polymer
• interpolymer
• intrapolymer
• lipopolymer
• macropolymer
• metallopolymer
• micropolymer
• monopolymer
• multipolymer
• nanopolymer
• oligopolymer
• photopolymer
• piezopolymer
• polymerase
• polymer chemistry
• polymeric
• polymerics
• polymeride
• polymerise
• polymerism
• polymerization
• polymerize
• polymerlike
• polymerogenic
• polymerone
• polymerous
• polymersome
• polyplex
• prepolymer
• ribopolymer
• silane-modified polymer
• star polymer
• stereospecific polymer
• superpolymer
• technopolymer
• terpolymer
• thermopolymer
• tribopolymer
• tripolymer

Related terms

• multimer

Translations

molecule

• Arabic: بُولِيمَر m (būlīmar)
• Armenian: պոլիմեր (hy) (polimer)
• Belarusian: паліме́р m (palimjér)
• Bulgarian: полиме́р m (polimér)
• Catalan: polímer m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 聚合體 / 聚合体 (zh) (jùhétǐ)

• Czech: polymer m
• Dutch: polymeer (nl) n
• Esperanto: polimero
• Estonian: polümeer
• Finnish: polymeeri (fi)
• French: polymère (fr)
• Georgian: პოლიმერი (ṗolimeri)
• German: Polymer (de) n
• Greek: πολυμερές (el) n (polymerés)
• Hungarian: polimer (hu)
• Icelandic: fjölliða (is) f
• Indonesian: polimer (id)
• Italian: polimero (it) m
• Japanese: 重合体 (ja) (じゅうごうたい, jūgōtai), 高分子 (ja) (こうぶんし, kōbunshi)
• Kazakh: полимер (polıymer)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: aloz (ku), polîmer, molekula aloz f

• Malay: polimer (ms)
• Māori: waerau, waerau
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: полимер (polimer)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: polymer m

  Nynorsk: polymer m

• Persian: بسپار (fa) (baspâr), پلیمر (fa) (polimer)
• Polish: polimer (pl) m inan
• Portuguese: polímero (pt) m
• Romanian: polimer (ro) m
• Russian: полиме́р (ru) m (polimér)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: полимер m

  Latin: polimer m

• Spanish: polímero (es) m
• Swahili: polima
• Swedish: polymer (sv)
• Thai: พอลิเมอร์ (th)
• Turkish: polimer (tr)
• Ukrainian: поліме́р m (polimér)
• Vietnamese: hợp chất cao phân tử
• Zazaki: polimer

material

• Bulgarian: полиме́р m (polimér)
• Finnish: polymeeri (fi)
• Polish: polimer (pl) m inan
• Swahili: polima
• Zazaki: polimerit

See also

• plastic (many artificial polymers are plastics)

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpolɪmɛr]

Noun

polymer m inan

1. polymer

Declension

Declension of polymer (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	polymer	polymery
genitive	polymeru	polymerů
dative	polymeru	polymerům
accusative	polymer	polymery
vocative	polymere	polymery
locative	polymeru	polymerech
instrumental	polymerem	polymery

Further reading

• “polymer”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “polymer”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

German

Pronunciation

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

polymer (strong nominative masculine singular polymerer, not comparable)

1. polymeric

Declension

Positive forms of polymer (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist polymer	sie ist polymer	es ist polymer	sie sind polymer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	polymerer	polymere	polymeres	polymere
	genitive	polymeren	polymerer	polymeren	polymerer
	dative	polymerem	polymerer	polymerem	polymeren
	accusative	polymeren	polymere	polymeres	polymere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der polymere	die polymere	das polymere	die polymeren
	genitive	des polymeren	der polymeren	des polymeren	der polymeren
	dative	dem polymeren	der polymeren	dem polymeren	den polymeren
	accusative	den polymeren	die polymere	das polymere	die polymeren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein polymerer	eine polymere	ein polymeres	(keine) polymeren
	genitive	eines polymeren	einer polymeren	eines polymeren	(keiner) polymeren
	dative	einem polymeren	einer polymeren	einem polymeren	(keinen) polymeren
	accusative	einen polymeren	eine polymere	ein polymeres	(keine) polymeren

Further reading

• “polymer” in Duden online
• “polymer”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[1] (in German)

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From poly- +‎ Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part”).

Noun

polymer m (definite singular polymeren, indefinite plural polymerer, definite plural polymerene)

1. a polymer

Derived terms

• polymerisere

References

• “polymer” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From poly- +‎ Ancient Greek μέρος (méros, “part”).

Noun

polymer m (definite singular polymeren, indefinite plural polymerar, definite plural polymerane)

1. a polymer

Derived terms

• polymerisere

References

• “polymer” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Welsh

Etymology

Internationalism. Borrowed from English polymer. Analysable as poly- +‎ -mer.

Noun

polymer m (plural polymerau)

1. (chemistry) polymer

Related terms

• monomer
• oligomer

Further reading

• Griffiths, Bruce; Glyn Jones, Dafydd (1995), “polymer”, in Geiriadur yr Academi: The Welsh Academy English–Welsh Dictionary‎^[2], Cardiff: University of Wales Press, →ISBN
• D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “polymer”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “polymer”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies