plasticn.adj.

Brit.

/ˈplastɪk/, U.S.

/ˈplæstɪk/

Forms: 1500s–1600s plasticke, 1600s plaistique, 1600s–1700s plastique, 1600s–1800s plastick, 1600s– plastic, 1700s plaistic.

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Italian. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Italian plastica; Latin plasticē, plasticus.

Etymology: In use as noun originally (in sense A. 1a) < (i) Italian plastica (1584 in the passage translated in quot. 1598² at sense A. 1a; 1476 as plastice ; compare arte plastica (1585)), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin plasticē (Pliny; in post-classical Latin also plastica (late 2nd or early 3rd cent. in Tertullian)) < ancient Greek πλαστική , use as noun (short for πλαστική τεχνή the plastic art) of feminine of πλαστικός , adjective (see below); in sense A. 1b < (iii) post-classical Latin plasticus moulder, sculptor (4th cent.), use as noun of plasticus , adjective (see below). Compare French plastique the art of modelling (1765), physical appearance of the body (1865), solid material that can be moulded (1875, used as an umbrella term; subsequently also in sense ‘synthetic material’, after English), plastic explosive (1945 as plastic : see below), German Plastik the art of modelling (18th cent., < French), a product of this (19th cent.), synthetic material (20th cent.; < English). Compare plastique n. In use as adjective (sense B.) directly < (iv) classical Latin plasticus of or belonging to the art of modelling (Vitruvius), in post-classical Latin also creative (c950 in a British source) < ancient Greek πλαστικός that may be moulded, belonging to moulding or modelling, plastic, in Hellenistic Greek also gifted in sculpture < πλαστός formed, moulded, that can easily be moulded ( < πλάσσειν to mould, form, of uncertain origin + -τός , suffix forming verbal adjectives) + -ικός -ic suffix. Compare French plastique relating to modelling (1553 in art plastique ; compare plastic art n. at Compounds 2b). Compare later plastical adj.With A. 3c compare French plastic (1945, also plastique ; < English plastic (in plastic explosive n. at Compounds 2b)). Compare earlier plasticate v. 2. In plastic clay n. at Compounds 2b after French argile plastique (Cuvier & Brongniart 1808, in Jrnl. des Mines 23 432). In plastic lymph n. at Compounds 2b after German plastische Lymphe (1825 in the source translated in quot. 1827 for plastic lymph n. at Compounds 2b. In plastic surgery n. at Compounds 2b, perhaps after German plastische Chirurgie (1838 or earlier: see quot. below), but compare slightly earlier quot. 1837 at sense B. 1b. Compare:1941 Ann. Surg. 113 642 The title of Eduard Zeis' (1807–1868) book, published in 1838, was Handbuch der Plastischen Chirurgie, and he says: ‘As far as I know I was the first to use the words “plastic surgery”.’

A. n.

†1.

a. The art of modelling or sculpting figures, esp. in clay or wax. Also figurative. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [noun]

plastic1598

plastic art1624

plastic1881

1598 R. Haydocke tr. G. P. Lomazzo Tracte Artes Paintinge Pref. 7 Painting, Carving and Plasticke [It. la plastica scultura] are all but one and the same arte.

1598 R. Haydocke tr. G. P. Lomazzo Tracte Artes Paintinge ii. xiv. 61 Carving is nothing else but a painefull imitation of Plasticke [It. la scoltura non è altro che vna imitatione faticosa della Plastica].

1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. ii. 107 Plastique is not only vnder Sculpture, but indeed very Sculpture it selfe: but with this difference; that the Plasterer doth make his Figures by Addition, and the Carver by Subtraction.

1684 tr. H. C. Agrippa Vanity Arts & Sci. (new ed.) xxv. 70 Of Statuary and Plastick.

b. A modeller, a moulder, a sculptor. Also figurative: a fashioner, a creator. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > [noun] > creator

forgerc1380

authora1382

feigner1382

formerc1386

founderc1390

makera1450

plasmatoura1500

constitutor1531

framer1534

creator1548

fashioner1548

opificer1548

essentiator1561

creatress1590

effecter1591

compactor1593

moulder1594

creatrix1595

mouldress1599

effector1635

composer1644

plastic1644

opifex1649

fabricator1650

formator1656

efformer1662

essentializer1669

constituenta1676

crafter1907

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [noun] > artist

plastic1644

plastic artist1741

1644 J. Bulwer Chirologia 58 It is impossible for any Painter, or Carver, or Plastique to give right motions to his works or Hand.

1661 G. Rust Let. conc. Origen in Phœnix (1721) I. 75 The beautiful Idea, according to which the Plastick works.

1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing 128 'Tis education is our Plastick.

1694 R. Burthogge Ess. Reason 247 For in this Terrestrial World, as to the several Regions of it, the Animal, the Vegetable, and the Mineral, it is as certain, that all had but one Plastic, as that the Body of a Man, or any other particular Animal, had not more.

1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. i. ii. 10 Ours is a most fictile world; and man is the most fingent plastic of creatures.

1881 A. Trumble Slang Dict. N.Y., London & Paris 27/2 Plastic, a model artist.

c. A sculpted or modelled figure. Also figurative. Frequently in plural. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > statuary > [noun] > statue

likenessOE

imagec1225

figurea1300

signa1382

statuea1393

staturea1393

statutea1393

statutec1430

statuac1450

picture1517

idol1548

portraiture1548

pattern1582

portrait1585

icon1587

monument1594

simulacrum1599

statuary1599

plastic1686

make1890

1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. viii. 272 How dame Nature came thus to miscarry in her plastics.

1767 P. Luckombe Beauties of Eng. (ed. 3) 231 Among the ruins are many fragments of Roman urns, and others of their plastics.

1850 J. Leitch tr. K. O. Müller Ancient Art (new ed.) §20. 7 The living plastics of the gymnic games and choral dances were afterwards..exalted in a surprising manner by sculpture in stone and brass.

†2. With the.

a. The creative or procreative principle. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > [noun] > creative ability or power

plastic1661

inventiveness1668

creativeness1805

1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing 214 To the knowledge of the poorest simple, we must first know its efficient, the manner, and method of its efformation, and the nature of the Plastick.

1682 H. More Annot. Disc. Truth 238 in Two Choice & Useful Treat. All Souls are indued with the Plastick whether of Brutes or Men.

b. Plastic art. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [noun]

plastic1598

plastic art1624

plastic1881

1881 H. James Portrait of Lady xxxvi, in Macmillan's Mag. June 87/1 His appreciation..was based partly on his fine sense of the plastic.

a. A substance that is easily moulded or shaped under some conditions but that solidifies as it cools, dries, etc. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > types of material generally > [noun] > plastic or mouldable

mould1547

plastic1803

the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [noun] > plasticity > plastic substance

paste1390

dough1558

conspersion1607

plastic1803

Melmac1941

1803 H. J. Sarrett New Picture London 80 The ornaments are plastick, a composition something like plaster of Paris.

1875 R. W. Emerson Lett. & Social Aims iv. 114 Ah! what a plastic he is! so shifty, so adaptive!

1896 U.S. Patent 568,016 2/1 After said plastic has become hard the seal is firmly locked thereby in the neck of the bottle.

1923 Blackwood's Mag. June 722/2 In the evenings Roupin constructed in plastic..a complete model of Haidar Pasha.

1933 L. F. Rahm Plastic Molding ii. 19 The molding properties of rubber are such as to make it one of the simplest plastics to handle.

1944 E. C. Jahn in L. E. Wise Wood Chem. xxiii. 820 In 1942..wood and lignin plastics are still largely in the developmental stage.

b. Any of a large and varied class of materials used widely in manufacturing, which are organic polymers of high molecular weight, now usually based on synthetic materials, and may be moulded, extruded, or cast when they are soft or liquid, and then set into a rigid or slightly elastic form. Also as a mass noun: material of this kind.laminated, reinforced plastic: see the first element.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > synthetic resins and plastics > [noun] > plastic

plastic1909

muckite1935

1909 L. H. Baekeland in Jrnl. Industr. & Engin. Chem. 1 156/2 As an insulator..it [sc. Bakelite] is far superior to hard rubber, casein, celluloid, shellac and in fact all plastics.

1911 E. C. Worden Nitrocellulose Industry II. xiv. 691 Pyroxylin plastic is extensively used for the bits of pipe stems, and consists of ordinary plastic containing..dyestuffs, picric acid, [etc.].

1928 Chem. Abstr. 22 4209 Plastics are defined as materials that are horny and elastic at ordinary temp. but can be molded at higher temp. They include (1) cellulose plastics, (2) artificial resins and (3) protein plastics.

1935 Economist 7 Dec. 1140/1 The use of plastics in the motor accessory field will undoubtedly increase.

1945 Daily Mirror 27 Sept. 3/1 British-made women's shoes in ‘patent leather’ plastics may be on sale next summer.

1963 H. R. Clauser Encycl. Engin. Materials 486/2 Silicones are unique among plastics, in that they are semiorganic, i.e., the molecular spine has alternating silicon and oxygen atoms with organic groups attached to the silicon.

1976 National Geographic June 707 (advt.) There is a need for a plastic that will retain its clarity and stand up to a lot of punishment.

1990 Buzzworm Nov.–Dec. 71/2 Don't buy plastic unless it is recycled or recyclable plastic.

c. = plastic explosive n. at Compounds 2b.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > explosive device > [noun] > plastic explosive

plastic explosive1907

PE1949

plastic1966

plastique1968

Semtex1985

1966 M. R. D. Foot SOE in France xi. 367 Though they had no plastic, they could get unlimited dynamite from the mines.

1968 D. Lampe Last Ditch vii. 75 Plastic is a form of cyclonite,..and is still today the standard military sabotage high explosive.

1978 T. Allbeury Lantern Network ix. 112 Parker..showed them how to wire the plastic so that a whole length of track was taken out in a single explosion.

4. colloquial.

a. The material of which records are made, vinyl; (hence) vinyl records collectively. Cf. vinyl n. 2c.Originally and frequently in on plastic: in the form of a record, as a recording.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > sound recording or reproducing equipment > [noun] > material for record

blank1940

plastic1969

vinyl1976

society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > a sound recording > [noun] > record or disc > collectively

plastic1969

1969 Crawdaddy! Aug. 26 This is..very much a result of the producer's concept of what it is he's trying to capture on plastic.

1977 Chainsaw Sept. 8/1 This is the best thing the Adverts have put down on plastic this year.

1993 Time Out 31 Mar. 92/4 Resident DJs, Jez Nelson and Debra continue to spin funky jazzy plastic.

1995 C. Bateman Divorcing Jack ii. 19 The needle jumped a couple of times and Mouse ripped off the album, throwing it on top of a burgeoning pile of sleeveless plastic.

b. A credit card, debit card, or similar; such cards collectively. Cf. plastic money n. at Compounds 2b.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [noun] > credit card

credit card1888

plastic card1939

bank card1947

card1950

banker's card1966

Barclaycard1966

plastic money1969

plastic1975

key card1985

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [adjective] > money or credit via a credit card

plastic1975

1975 D. Jenkins Dead Solid Perfect 214 She had a whole purse full of plastic.

1988 Which? July 299/2 To use your plastic in a cash machine, you need a personal identification number (PIN).

1993 Harper's Mag. Oct. 81/1 My personal fear of plastic (I cannot let a credit-card bill lie unpaid on my desk overnight) clearly has origins in my father's dealing with it.

2001 M. Blake 24 Karat Schmooze xx. 228 Lomax beamed.., seeing his reinstatement in London's finer restaurants and fresh plastic in his wallet.

B. adj.

I. That moulds.

a. Characterized by or capable of moulding or shaping clay, wax, or other soft or formless materials. Also figurative.Recorded earliest in plastic art n. at Compounds 2b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > [adjective] > shaping or able to shape

informativea1398

shaping1398

forging1593

plastical1615

effigiating1616

plastic1624

forming1644

efformative1647

plasmatical1647

plasmatic1651

moulding1665

fashionative1693

modelizing1716

configurating1808

configurative1817

formatory1868

crystallizing1883

configurational1969

1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. ii. 108 Of this Plastique Art, the chiefe vse with us is in the gracefull fretting of roofes.

a1637 B. Jonson Magnetick Lady iv. Chorus 18 in Wks. (1640) III Not..as wee were to mould every Scene anew: That were a meere Plastick, or Potters ambition.

1728 A. Pope Dunciad i. 89 So watchful Bruin forms with plastic care Each growing lump, and brings it to a Bear.

1745 J. G. Cooper Power Harmony i. 21 As o'er the rock the plastic chissel moves.

1852 tr. Müller's Archæol. Art 65 The plastic talent which creates material forms cannot certainly fail to be recognized even as early as Homer.

1961 Amer. Heritage Bk. Indians 49/2 The uncanny plastic skill and a certain taste for the maimed and the monstrous hint faintly..at an echo of the proto-Olmec mind.

b. Of, relating to, or designating plastic surgery (see plastic surgery n. at Compounds 2b).

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > [adjective] > types of surgery generally

minor1825

exploratory1828

plastic1837

electrosurgical1870

Listerian1880

open1894

neurosurgical1918

micro-operative1922

cosmetic1926

microsurgical1927

radiosurgical1928

atraumatic1934

psychosurgical1946

cryosurgical1962

1837 Lancet 23 Dec. 47 Plastic surgery..a branch of surgery in which alone the operating surgeon becomes a real artist.

1839 Brit. & Foreign Med. Rev. 7 393 Syphilis, lupus, scrofula, &c. have made cases whereon to exercise the ingenuity of the plastic operator.

1883 T. Holmes & J. W. Hulke Syst. Surg. (ed. 3) III. 681 Plastic operations on the cheek (meloplasty).

1982 A. F. Wallace Progress Plastic Surg. xix. 163 The defect would have to be covered by means of a plastic procedure.

1990 Physiotherapy 76 (Advt. Suppl.) p. xvii/2 There will..be an opportunity to gain experience on the regional burns and plastic unit.

†2. Causing the growth or production of natural forms, esp. of living things; formative, procreative; creative. Obsolete.Formerly, in a quasi-philosophical sense, as an attribute of an alleged principle, virtue, or force in nature.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > [adjective] > creating, fashioning, shaping, or forming > having the ability or power to create or creative

formative1490

factive1535

constitutive1592

plastical1615

forming1644

plastic1646

elaborative1845

1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 117 The plastick or formative faculty, from matter appearing homogeneous and of a similary substance erecteth bones, membranes, veynes and arteries.

1658 Sir T. Browne Garden of Cyrus iii, in Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall 129 In what diminutives the plastick principle lodgeth, is exemplified in seeds.

a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) ii. vii. 192 Those that think that these Conchæ or Petrified Shells were no other than the Lusus naturæ, the Effects of the Plastick power of the Earth.

1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron I. iii. xiv. 196 He is positive as to the Being of God, and that not meerly as a plastic Nature, or Soul of the World.

1794 S. T. Coleridge in Morning Chron. 26 Dec. 3/2 Like that great Spirit who with plastic sweep, Mov'd on the darkness of the formless Deep.

1830 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. I. 23 The absurdity of having recourse to a certain ‘plastic force’, which it was said had power to fashion stones into organic forms.

1875 E. White Life in Christ (1878) i. iv. 30 The creation of groups by successive acts of divine power, or..by successive acts of the plastic force of nature.

1901 M. Foster Lect. Hist. Physiol. 82 The nerves exert what we now call a trophic action, the blood supplying the material, the nerves the vivifying and plastic force.

3. figurative. Generating or adapting non-material, aesthetic, or intellectual ideas, concepts, etc.; creative.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [adjective]

imaginativec1405

inventivec1450

feigning1483

creativea1513

inventative1541

inventious1591

conceitful1594

forgetive1600

productive1612

projecting1614

excogitous1646

plastic1662

ingeniary1664

formful1730

forgeful1751

inventful1797

original-minded1797

original1803

originative1811

vivid1814

fingent1837

constructive1841

right-brained1871

poietic1905

1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ iii. i. §4 The great enquiry then is, how far this Plastick Power of the understanding, may extend its self in its forming an Idea of God.

1756 J. Warton Ess. on Pope I. iii. 111 The genuine poet, of a lively plastic imagination.

1783 J. O. Justamond tr. G. T. F. Raynal Philos. Hist. Europeans in Indies (new ed.) VI. 29 He considered the sign of wealth, as the plastic and preserving principle of political strength.

a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics (1859) II. xlv. 500 Imagination creates, nothing..it only builds up old materials into new forms; and..ought, therefore, to be called, not the productive or creative, but the plastic.

1871 R. H. Hutton Ess. I. 133 There is a formative plastic power that is ever urging us towards our truest life.

1877 E. Dowden Shakspere (Macmillan Lit. Primers) v. 59 The compression of the large and rough matter of history into dramatic form demanded vigorous exercise of the plastic energy of the imagination.

1979 Stud. Eng. Lit. 1500–1900 19 704 Dickens's tendency towards montage..reflects an intensely visual and plastic imagination.

II. Able to be moulded.

a. Of non-material things and conditions: able to be moulded or modified; impressionable, pliable; susceptible to influence; fluid, flexible.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > change > changeableness > [adjective]

slidinga900

wankleeOE

windyc1000

unsteadfastc1200

fleeting?c1225

loose?c1225

brotelc1315

unstablec1340

varyingc1340

variantc1374

motleyc1380

ungroundedc1380

muablea1393

passiblea1393

remuablea1393

changeablea1398

movablea1398

variablec1397

slidderya1400

ticklec1400

variantc1412

flitting1413

mutable?a1425

movingc1425

flaskisable1430

flickering1430

transmutablec1430

vertible1447

brittlea1450

ficklea1450

permutablec1450

unfirmc1450

uncertain1477

turnable1483

unsteadfast1483

vagrantc1522

inconstant1526

alterable?1531

stirringc1540

slippery1548

various1552

slid?1553

mutala1561

rolling1561

weathery1563

unconstant1568

interchangeable1574

fluctuant1575

stayless1575

transitive1575

voluble1575

changeling1577

queasy1579

desultory1581

huff-puff1582

unstaid1586

vagrant1586

changeful1590

floating1594

Protean1594

unstayed1594

swimming1596

anchorless1597

mobilec1600

ticklish1601

catching1603

labile1603

unrooted1604

quicksilvered1605

versatile1605

insubstantial1607

uncertain1609

brandling1611

rootless1611

squeasy1611

wind-changinga1616

insolid1618

ambulatory1625

versatilous1629

plastic1633

desultorious1637

unbottomed1641

fluid1642

fluent1648

yea-and-nay1648

versipellous1650

flexile1651

uncentred1652

variating1653

chequered1656

slideable1662

transchangeative1662

weathercock-like1663

flicketing1674

fluxa1677

lapsable1678

wanton1681

veering1684

upon the weathercock1702

contingent1703

unsettled?1726

fermentable1731

afloat1757

brickle1768

wavy1795

vagarious1798

unsettled1803

fitful1810

metamorphosical1811

undulating1815

tittupya1817

titubant1817

mutative1818

papier mâché1818

teetotum1819

vacillating1822

capricious1823

sensitive1828

quicksilvery1829

unengrafted1829

fluxionala1834

proteiform1833

liquid1835

tottlish1835

kaleidoscopic1846

versative1846

kaleidoscopical1858

tottery1861

choppy1865

variative1874

variational1879

wimbly-wambly1881

fluctuable1882

shifty1882

giveable1884

shifty1884

tippy1886

mutatory1890

upsettable1890

rocky1897

undulatory1897

streaky1898

tottly1905

tipply1906

up and down1907

inertialess1927

sometimey1946

rise-and-fall1950

switchable1961

1633 H. Wotton Let. 18 Apr. in L. P. Smith Life & Lett. Sir H. Wotton (1907) II. 338 Must needs consume all the active powers of any vegetable and leave nothing but a plastick and passive virtue.

1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Sensus Communis: Ess. Freedom of Wit 115 Such is Poetical, and such (if I may so call it) Graphical, or Plastick Truth.

1817 J. Bentham Chrestomathia Pt. II 133 Of all known languages, the Greek is assuredly in its structure the most plastic and most manageable.

1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 67 Plato..fancies that the life of the state is as plastic..as that of the individual.

1948 S. J. Perelman Westward Ha! ii. 26 It took only nine days of tramping the steamship offices to convince us how romantic we were and how plastic our itinerary would have to be.

1965 L. MacNeice Varieties of Parable i. 1 To some critics a symbol means something very plastic while to others it means something quite rigid.

1995 Atlantic Monthly Sept. 22 This is a rare plastic moment in history, if only this country's leaders would realise it.

b. Of a material: that can be (easily) moulded or shaped; pliant, pliable; that readily takes a new form.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > [adjective] > able to be shaped

formable1495

workable1545

fashionable1607

plastic1791

society > occupation and work > materials > types of material generally > [adjective] > mouldable or workable

freec1300

malleablec1395

pliablec1475

workable1545

hammerable1611

mouldable1626

soluble1650

kind1747

plastic1791

temperable1841

mild1878

manipulable1881

the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [adjective] > plastic

malleablec1395

pliablec1475

submissivea1593

waxen1594

cereous1601

mouldable1626

shapeable1647

soluble1650

fictile1676

wax-like1748

plastic1791

1791 E. Darwin Bot. Garden: Pt. I i. 85 Etruria! next beneath thy magic hands Glides the quick wheel, the plastic clay expands.

1797 W. Godwin Enquirer i. iii. 12 How unformed and plastic is his body!

1811 A. T. Thomson London Dispensatory i. p. cvii Kneading the coating material, so as to render it very plastic.

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. xxii. 349 The ice..was plastic to pressure but not to tension.

1922 T. M. Lowry Inorg. Chem. xxx. 525 Wrought iron..is plastic enough to be welded at a red heat.

2001 Herald Sun (Melbourne) 3 Mar. w14 Puppies have fairly plastic bones and they tend to fold and crease rather than shatter.

c. Biology. Relating to or exhibiting an adaptability to environmental changes; spec. relating to or exhibiting an ability to alter the neural connections of the brain as a result of experience, in the process of learning, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > balance of nature > organisms in relation to habitat > [adjective]

fieldya1382

waterya1382

agrestial1608

subterranean1638

lucifugous1654

nemoral1656

subcutaneous1664

subterraneous1832

subtidal1852

xylophilous1862

xerophilous1863

acid-loving1870

aerobic1878

aerobian1879

aerobious1879

aerobiotic1880

subaquatic1880

aerophilous1885

facultative1887

pelagic1887

aerophile1888

autotrophic1893

heterotrophic1893

plastic1893

thermophilic1894

thermophil1896

mesophilic1897

halolimnic1898

polybathic1898

tolerant1898

limnetic1899

thermophilous1899

metatrophic1900

mixotrophic1900

paratrophic1900

mesophilous1901

benthic1902

epibenthic1902

eurybathic1902

microaerophilic1903

sympatric1904

benthoal1905

cryophile1907

benthonic1909

microaerophile1909

lenitic1916

lotic1916

psychrotolerant1924

oligosaprobic1925

polysaprobic1925

aerophilic1929

saprobic1932

primary1934

lentic1935

chemoautotrophic1936

eurytopic1937

psammic1938

saprotrophic1942

prototrophic1946

chemolithoautotrophic1949

auxotrophic1950

chemolithotrophic1953

chemoorganotrophic1953

opportunist1956

psychrophile1956

psychrophilic1958

opportunistic1960

psychrotrophic1960

oligosaprobe1990

1893 Science 15 Dec. 332/2 The theory assumes that protoplasm, like other matter, is extremely plastic and undergoes physical or molecular modifications with every action of the environment upon it.

1905 F. E. Clements Res. Methods Ecol. iii. 146 Stable plants are less susceptible of evolution than plastic ones.

1930 Jrnl. Ecol. 18 376 The broad-leaved plantain has proved, even within five months, exceedingly plastic.

1977 Sci. Amer. June 90/2 The hippocampus has proved to be a very ‘plastic’ brain area.

1989 Nature 12 Jan. 129/1 We are sure that many synapses are plastic, that is, they can change their strength with experience.

a. Relating to or produced by moulding, modelling, or sculpture.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [adjective]

plastic1726

1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 32/2 This sort of Works, which are call'd Plastic [It. che si chiamano lavori di Terra].

1863 M. Howitt tr. F. Bremer Greece & Greeks I. vii. 238 The Greeks have an abhorrence of any plastic images of the saints.

1888 Jrnl. Hellenic Stud. 9 32 There are no plastic works that seem to belong to the Alexandrine or later Greek style.

1939 R. Fry Last Lect. 77 But what an astonishing grasp of plastic form this head reveals, the sculptor has somehow got beyond the facts of appearance.

1972 Times 17 Oct. 12/1 (advt.) Classical antiquities, including an interesting group of Greek ‘plastic’ vases.

b. Relating to or involving a permanent change in shape of a material, without fracture or rupture, by the temporary application of a force. Frequently in plastic deformation, plastic flow.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [adjective] > plastic > relating to or characterized by plasticity

plastic1877

1877 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 104 228 (heading) Plastic flow.

1879 Encycl. Brit. IX. 240/2 More shapely bricks are thus produced than by plastic moulding.

1888 W. C. Unwin Testing Materials Constr. i. 18 When a body is subjected to the action of external forces, it undergoes a deformation which is either a deformation which disappears if the load is removed (elastic deformation), or a deformation which remains after the load is removed (plastic deformation).

1923 R. Glazebrook Dict. Appl. Physics V. 400/1 A viscous, under-cooled liquid, may..undergo deformation of a ‘plastic’ (i.e. non-elastic) nature.

1963 E. S. Hills Elem. Struct. Geol. xii. 355 Plastic deformation of wall-rocks is exhibited around the Bald Rock batholith, California.

1990 P. Kearey & F. J. Vine Global Tectonics ii. 30 Plastic flow..occurs when the yield strength of the material is exceeded.

6. Medicine. Capable of, exhibiting, or producing organization; forming tissue, esp. fibrous tissue. Now rare except in plastic bronchitis (see plastic bronchitis n. at Compounds 2b).plastic lymph: see plastic lymph n. at Compounds 2b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > substance > [adjective] > capable of becoming

plastic1827

1827 Lancet 19 May 198/2 I have a preparation, where the pleura pulmonalis is so thick, from plastic exudations, as the back of a knife.

1851 W. B. Carpenter Man. Physiol. (ed. 2) 375 It gives origin to similar changes in the effused fibrine, which it converts from a plastic or organizable deposit, into an aplastic or unorganizable one, namely, pus.

1895 Lancet 30 Nov. 1349/2 The peritonitis which persisted being limited to the exudation of plastic material over the viscera beneath the wound.

1901 Lancet 19 Oct. 1053/2 He [sc. Virchow] saw the theory of a plastic exudation was arbitrary and erroneous.

1930 Lancet 4 Oct. 734/1 The pus secreted by the pleura is usually a plastic fibrinous material, of such low virulence that it can be organised into fibrous tissue where it coagulates on the walls of the containing cavity.

III. Of or relating to plastic as a material ( A. 3b).

a. Made of or containing plastic; of the nature of a plastic.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > synthetic resins and plastics > [adjective] > plastic

plastic1896

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > synthetic resins and plastics > [adjective] > plastic > made of

plastic1896

1896 U.S. Patent 562,656 2/2 Softening the edges of the small, hard plastic sheets and thus rendering them pliable.

1909 Chem. Abstr. 3 724 Artificial plastic materials industry... An interesting account..giving descriptions of the process for artificial rubber, leather, and substitutes; celluloid, viscoid, etc.

1911 E. C. Worden Nitrocellulose Industry II. xiv. 630 Formation of plastic rods and tubes was first successfully made by the patented process of I. and J. Hyatt.

1931 Brit. Plastics Year Bk. 17 We have pleasure in presenting to the Plastics Industry the first Year Book..dealing exclusively with Plastic Materials.

1940 Economist 29 June 1108/2 Plastic structural material has been introduced into the aircraft industry.

1951 A. Baron Rosie Hogarth 60 She..hung plastic curtains in his bedroom.

1958 Engineering 14 Mar. 349/1 Acid wastes are disposed of through plastic pipes.

1989 Woman's Realm 11 Apr. 25/3 He was wearing nothing but plastic beach shoes, a ragged sweatshirt and a towel draped around his neck.

2003 N. Slater Toast 98 We have a set of red plastic tart cutters with crinkle edges.

b. figurative. Artificial, unnatural; superficial, insincere.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > affected behaviour or affectation > [adjective] > affected or put on for effect

affectate?1555

affectated1574

affected1578

artificious1579

affective1630

theatrical1649

faux1684

false1791

posed1909

voulu1909

pseudish1938

hokey1945

pseudo1949

posé1958

plastic1963

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > artificiality > [adjective]

artful1609

arted1637

artificialized1684

fictitious1686

plastic1963

plasticized1968

1963 Daily Tel. 22 May 16 The plan's promoters must not take it amiss if, winking an eye, some of our elder oysters inquire whether plastic houses might not connote plastic people.

1970 Observer 15 Feb. (Colour Suppl.) 24/1 Sinister influences are at work to turn Fiji into another Hawaii, that plastic paradise further along the route.

1977 Daily Tel. 16 Apr. 16 The flabby, chalky, doughy slabs of our unpalatable plastic muck which masquerades as bread.

1992 Ms. Sept.–Oct. 25/1 She smiled forgivingly at my prim judgment, just as she'd smiled when, as a student, I'd scoffed at her pastel telephones, her ‘plastic’ L.A. life.

Compounds

C1. Compounds of the noun.

a. General attributive uses of sense A. 3b.Frequently in plural in order to avoid possible confusion with branches B. I. and B. II.

(a) In singular and plural. Of, relating to, or concerned with plastics.

ΚΠ

1911 E. C. Worden Nitrocellulose Industry II. xiv. 578 The general principles of plastic manufacture.

1925 Plastics Oct. 7/1 The plastics industry.

1931 Brit. Plastics Year Bk. 69 The plastic trade consumes 1,200 tons of wood dust per annum for mouldings.

1957 J. Braine Room at Top 61 He owned a plastics factory, a tannery, a bodywork builders.

1960 I. Wallach Absence of Cello 16 He was a trouble-shooter..for a large plastic corporation.

1969 T. C. Thorstensen Pract. Leather Technol. xiv. 235 The increased ‘plastic look’ in leather may, in the long run, harm the marketing position of leather in its competition with synthetic materials.

1991 Rutgers Mag. Spring 37/1 Biegel is working with microorganisms that operate on phthalate, a byproduct of plastics manufacturing.

(b) In plural. Made of or containing plastic; of the nature of a plastic.

ΚΠ

1934 H. Read Art & Industry ii. 90 The wireless cabinet is an example of the encroachment of new plastics materials, such as bakelite, on a province hitherto reserved for wood.

1945 Sci. Amer. May 298/1 A recent development in plastics and electronics is a wafer-thin Vinylite plastics record, only seven inches in diameter.

1958 Engineering 7 Mar. 320/2 Various tools with plastics handles.

1971 Daily Tel. 15 Feb. 4/8 Plastics windows to protect passengers from stone~throwing are being installed in trains in the New York area.

1974 Brit. Standard 4998 (title) Moulded plastics dustbins.

b. Instrumental.

plastic-coated adj.

ΚΠ

1940 N.Y. Times 11 Aug. f7/6 The first commercially practical plastic-coated paper packages will be put on the market this week.

1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 23 Feb. 69/1 The cab framework is constructed of precision steel tubing and the weatherproof roof of plastic-coated nylon fabric.

1993 Albuquerque (New Mexico) Jrnl. 4 Apr. c5/3 A 2-year-old gummed his mother's plastic-coated ration card.

plastic-covered adj.

ΚΠ

1938 C. C. Zimmerman Changing Community xx. 510 The other items of manufacture wooden (fabric or plastic covered) heels and paperboard boxes..are extremely cheap.

1973 ‘R. Lewis’ Blood Money viii. 125 There's a plastic-covered card identifying the dead man.

1994 B. Hambly Crossroad xiii. 194 The plastic-covered hawsers of power lines, confronted him.

plastic-lined adj.

ΚΠ

1941 Nevada State Jrnl. 18 May s2/4 The Dodgers used a plastic-lined cap developed by Dr Walter E. Dandy, brain specialist.

1969 Jane's Freight Containers 1968–9 239/3 The walls are of plastic-lined plywood plates.

1979 Tucson (Arizona) Mag. Apr. 64/2 Another alternative is a plastic-lined pool.

plastic-tiled adj.

ΚΠ

1948 Waterloo (Iowa) Courier 18 Jan. 24/4 Upstairs there are two bedrooms, a plastic-tiled bath in generous proportions and a sewing room.

1998 Providence (Rhode Island) Jrnl.-Bull. 15 Apr. 5 c DEK hockey is..played on the plastic-tiled floor of one of the center's four rinks.

plastic-topped adj.

ΚΠ

1941 Salisbury (Maryland) Times 4 Dec. 11/1 Pink-gingham boxed set has soap that looks and smells like flowers, plastic-topped cologne, and dusting powder.

1957 Observer 13 Oct. 1/2 The Queen and the Duke..walked to a plastic-topped limousine which drew away to drive to Government House.

1994 Loaded Sept. 40/1 Waiters..scuttle across the lino, bringing drinks to the customers seated at the plastic-topped tables.

plastic-free adj. (of a product, process, etc.) that does not contain or make use of plastic; (of a person, group, or society) that avoids use of plastic materials, esp. due to concerns about pollution.

1971 Pop. Mech. Jan. 54H The metalmakers are winning back a few bits and pieces they gave up to plastics during the 1960s, but you'll never see an all-metal, plastic-free production car out of Detroit again.

1996 Age (Melbourne) 4 June 2 Frank's Elsternwick Bakery wanted to start a revolution. It wanted to lead the way..to a plastic-free world by refusing to give customers plastic bags.

2022 @CO2IN 8 June in twitter.com (accessed 10 June 2022) How to reduce ocean pollution: 1) Boycott single-use plastic 2) Shop local 3) Request plastic-free packaging.

C2. Compounds of the adjective.

a. Parasynthetic.

plastic-macked adj.

ΚΠ

1964 Guardian 9 Sept. 5/8 Plastic-macked parents and hordes of soggy children.

plastic-mackintoshed adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adjective] > wearing waterproofed clothing > types of

oilskinned1843

mackintoshed1860

plastic-mackintoshed1973

1973 J. Wainwright Devil you Don't 25 A plastic-mackintoshed young woman.

plastic art n. (also †art plastic) the art of shaping or modelling; an art or craft involving this, as pottery, sculpture, etc.; (also) any art form that represents three-dimensional forms, as painting, etc.; frequently in plural.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [noun]

plastic1598

plastic art1624

plastic1881

1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. ii. 108 Of this Plastique Art, the chiefe vse with vs is in the gracefull fretting of roofes: but the Italians applie it, to the manteling of Chimneys, with great Figures.

a1637 B. Jonson Timber 1572 in Wks. (1640) III The Art Plasticke was moulding in clay, or potters earth anciently.

1677 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Oxford-shire 251 He [sc. John Dwight] has so far advanced the Art Plastick, that 'tis dubious whether any man since Prometheus have excelled him.

1850 J. Leitch tr. K. O. Müller Ancient Art (new ed.) §69. 38 These wooden figures..had decidedly more resemblance to puppets (manequins) than to works of cultivated plastic art.

1996 J. Lanchester Debt to Pleasure (1997) 96 This is the law of proportion and rhythm that underlies all of the plastic arts, from cocktail-making and cooking to architecture, sculpture, pottering and dressmaking.

2002 Nation (N.Y.) 23 Dec. 40/2 Twyla Tharp..believes that ballet can express anything. This plastic art molds movement and form from nature.

plastic artist n. an artist who moulds materials; a person who practises any of the plastic arts.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [noun] > artist

plastic1644

plastic artist1741

1741 W. Warburton Divine Legation Moses II. 554 God, the great plastic Artist.

1926 W. Lewis Art of being Ruled vi. iv. 185 If the early Christian had been a plastic artist like the pagan whom he drove out,..he would have filled the world with statues of little children.

1996 Hispania 79 772 Statements by literary and plastic artists.

plastic bag n. a bag made from plastic, esp. a disposable shopping bag.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > bag > [noun] > of other specific material

net bag1598

hair bag1712

paper bag1723

thread bag1924

plastic bag1941

polybag1964

ziplock1974

buveera1994

kaveera1994

1941 Washington Post 12 Apr. 13 (advt.) Plastic bag, quilted.

1957 Daily Mail 5 Sept. 11/5 Pre-cooked hamburgers..in their little frozen transparent plastic bags.

1987 J. J. Steinfeld Our Hero in Cradel Confederation xviii. 99 The old man labouring with four plastic bags of groceries.

2003 Daily Tel. 20 Jan. 14/6 Plastics industry workers marched in Taipei yesterday, calling for Taiwan's environmental chief to step down in a protest against new curbs on plastic bags.

plastic bronchitis n. Medicine bronchitis characterized by the production of sputum in the form of well-formed bronchial casts.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorder of respiratory organs > [noun] > disorders of bronchi or trachea

bronchitis1814

plastic bronchitis1827

tracheocele1828

tracheitis1859

bronchiectasis1873

peribronchitis1876

bronchorrhœa1877

bronchospasm1901

broncho-constriction1910

Wegener's granulomatosis1948

1827 J. Forbes tr. R. T. H. Laennec Treat. Dis. Chest (ed. 2) i. i. i. 61 The inflammatory affections of the mucous membrane of the bronchia, may be divided into the catarrhal, the plastic [Fr. plastiques] or crusty, and the ulcerous.

1877 F. T. Roberts Handbk. Med. (ed. 3) I. 376 Plastic or Croupous Bronchitis is almost always chronic.

1996 Ann. Allergy, Asthma & Immunol. 76 231 Plastic bronchitis is a rare disorder characterized by the formation and, sometimes dramatic expectoration of long, branching bronchial casts.

plastic bronze n. soft bronze containing a high proportion of lead, used for bearings.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > alloy > [noun] > bronze > types of

gunmetal1541

white bronze1834

findrinny1839

phosphor-bronze1875

plastic bronze1897

sentoku1902

lead bronze1937

1897 Overland Monthly Dec. 576/1 The entrance doors are galvano plastic bronze and plate glass.

1907 G. H. Clamer in Chem. Engineer Aug. 93 This alloy is largely sold under the name of ‘plastic bronze’.

1939 H. Carpenter & J. M. Robertson Metals II. xv. 1317 Alloys in the fifth group are those to which large amounts of lead are added to improve their suitability for certain types of bearings... These alloys are known as the ‘plastic’ or ‘leaded’ bronzes.

1954 Kempe's Engineer's Yearbk. I. 633 ‘Plastic’ bronze Cu 73 Sn 7 Pb 20.

plastic bullet n. a bullet made of PVC or other plastic, typically used by security and police forces for riot control; cf. rubber bullet n. at rubber n.¹ Compounds 3.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > ammunition for firearms > [noun] > bullet or shell > bullet > types of bullet

pistol bullet?1591

musket bullet1598

musket ball1637

silver bullet1648

three-o(h)-three1683

pistol ball1689

musket shot1755

Biscayen1812

picket1848

rifle bolt1849

Minié ball1851

Minié1852

expanding bullet1859

navy bullet1873

two-two1895

dum-dum1897

Lee-Enfield bullet1899

rubber bullet1900

full-metal-jacket1913

round-nose1932

thirty-two1942

plastic bullet1945

baton round1968

1945 Chicago Tribune 2 June 18/3 At Mount Sinai hospital, Dr. Jacob Lifschutz removed a plastic bullet..from the right lung of Paul Scarpelli.

1972 News Let. (Belfast) 11 Aug. 5/2 New devices for riot control, including a plastic bullet, have been issued to the Army in Northern Ireland.

1994 N.Y. Times 22 Nov. a10/5 His senior health official, Dr. Riad al-Zanoun, pointed to wounds that he said were made by plastic bullets.

plastic card n. (a) a card made from or laminated with plastic; (b) spec. an electronically readable bank card, (now) esp. a credit card; cf. A. 3c.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [noun] > credit card

credit card1888

plastic card1939

bank card1947

card1950

banker's card1966

Barclaycard1966

plastic money1969

plastic1975

key card1985

1939 Chicago Tribune 20 Oct. 7 (advt.) Here's an ‘ace of trumps’ for any bridge game. Plastic cards..that wear indefinitely and always look brand new.

1965 Times 14 Dec. 8/4 The principle of the system is that a local bank will provide its customers with plastic cards that can be electronically read and pass information..back by telephone.

1996 Voice 25 June 3/3 She was told that plastic card payments were not possible and that she'd have to pay by cash.

2003 Wall St. Jrnl. 9 July d5/5 GSM phones have a distinctive feature: a small, removable plastic card..that stores a user's account information..on an embedded chip.

plastic clay n. (also Plastic clay) Geology clay particularly suited to being shaped; spec. (clay from) any of the middle group of the Eocene clay beds, immediately underlying the London clay (cf. Reading n.³ 3).

ΘΚΠ

the world > the earth > structure of the earth > age or period > stratigraphic units > [noun] > tertiary or Cenozoic > Eocene > specific

plastic clay1811

calcaire silicieux1833

Woolwich-beds1859

coryphodon bed1895

1811 J. Farey Gen. View Agric. Derbyshire I. 455 Clay is of important use, for lining the bottoms of..Artificial Ponds or Meers: tenacious or plastic clay fit for this purpose, they call Water-Clay.

1812 T. Webster Let. 2 Aug. in H. C. Englefield Descr. Isle of Wight (1816) 210 The clay connected with this sand is frequently fit for the potter, and hence has been called the plastic clay.

1885 C. Lyell Elem. Geol. (ed. 4) 229 Woolwich and Reading series.—..formerly called the Plastic clay, as it agrees with a similar clay used in pottery, which occupies the same position in the French series.

1961 B. Kummel Hist. Earth 8/2 Of the strata above the Purbeck beds and below the Plastic clay, the most conspicuous unit is the Chalk.

plastic crystal n. †(a) a variety of Portland cement that can be easily moulded or shaped (obsolete); (b) a soft substance in which the molecules occupy the points of a regular crystal lattice but have freedom of rotation about those points.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > crystal (general) > crystal types > [noun]

negative crystal1831

plastic crystal1877

liquid crystal1891

cholesteric1965

mesomorph1969

1877 N.Y. Times 2 Sept. 9/4 The plastic crystal of dinas is described by C. Bis[c]hof as a species of Portland cement.

1926 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 112 346 Metallurgists..have recently become familiar with the conception of a plastic crystal which yields by slipping on a crystal plane.

1974 P. A. Winsor in G. W. Gray & P.A. Winsor Liquid Crystals & Plastic Crystals I. ii. 48 Plastic crystals separate in the crystal forms of the cubic system (rarely hexagonal) and to this extent resemble ordinary solid crystals. However, they show unusually low yield points. The most plastic..will flow under their own weight and although the majority are less soft, they may readily be cut with a knife or extruded through a small hole.

plastic explosive n. a putty-like explosive that can be shaped by hand.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > explosive device > [noun] > plastic explosive

plastic explosive1907

PE1949

plastic1966

plastique1968

Semtex1985

1907 C. E. Bichel Brit. Patent 16,882/1906 1 Add to the trinitrotoluol liquid resins..in such wise that..the crystalline trinitrotoluol with or without warming is worked in suitable mixing machines into a plastic explosive that detonates well.

1961 Times 12 July 10/3 Bombs made with plastic explosive were discovered not far from the entrance.

2002 Washington Post 4 Jan. a12/2 There are numerous varieties of plastic explosives, including C-4, which is produced by the U.S. military.

plastic footprint n. a measure of the amount of plastic used and discarded (by an individual, business, etc.), over a given period of time.

ΚΠ

2007 Statesman Jrnl. (Salem, Oregon) 10 Apr. c5/1 Reduce your plastic footprint. Choose products made from renewable resources.

2018 M. Dorey No. More. Plastic. 96 There are lots of alternative products on the market, as well as brands..that are working to reduce their plastic consumption.., so making informed choices will go some way to reducing your plastic footprint.

plastic lumber n. North American synthetic wood made from recycled plastic.

ΚΠ

1987 Food Engin. Nov. 23/1 Polyethylene when recycled has many uses, including base cups for beverage containers, flower pots, plastic lumber for outdoor furniture, boat docks, toys, pails, pipes and drums.

2004 Biocycle May 23/1 When purchasing structures such as decks, piers, benches, signs, bridges and trail markers, switch from wood to plastic lumber.

plastic lymph n. Medicine (now rare) the substance believed to cause fibrous tissue formation during wound healing or inflammation.

ΚΠ

1827 Lancet 19 May 198/2 I have even seen plastic lymph like the flakes of the white of an egg on the pleura costalis and pulmonalis.

1842 Times 21 July 11/1 (advt.) A secretion of plastic lymph, which ought entirely to obliterate this passage.

1888 P. H. Pye-Smith Fagge's Princ. & Pract. Med. (ed. 2) I. 66 In speaking of ‘plastic lymph’ as undergoing development into connective tissue and vessels, one means not the fibrin itself but the cells that are included in it.

1944 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 66 309/2 The irritation produced by suture material and needle puncture causes an exudate of plastic lymph.

plastic mac n. chiefly British a raincoat or mackintosh made from plastic.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > coat > types of > weatherproof > waterproof > other

Burberry1903

trench coat1914

trench1917

plastic maca1944

a1944 N. Coward Let's fly Away in B. Day N. Coward: Compl. Lyrics (1998) 216/3 Let's leave the milk-bar snacks, ‘Perms’ and breakfast foods To those girls in plastic macs, Slacks and pixie hoods.

1958 Observer 6 July 9/4 The light plastic mac, easily stuffed into pocket or bag, comes into its own during the British summer.

2004 Evening Chron. (Newcastle) (Nexis) 31 July 6 There were plastic macs on sale at the festival and a kind of camaraderie came over the crowd as the rain pelted down from the grey sky.

plastic merit n. merit or value as a piece of sculpture.

ΚΠ

1841 W. Spalding Italy & Ital. Islands I. 217 Four Bronze Horses..more noted for their adventures and undoubted antiquity than for their plastic merit.

1924 Jrnl. Rom. Stud. 14 283 In the Berlin pyx they would see there was a distinct resemblance with a difference: the figure of Christ had no longer the plastic merit or ease of pose.

1957 Yale French Stud. No. 19/20. 41 The plastic merit of the works of these different artists is obviously unequal.

plastic money n. colloquial (originally U.S.) plastic credit cards, etc., considered as a form of money; cf. sense A. 4b.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [noun] > credit card

credit card1888

plastic card1939

bank card1947

card1950

banker's card1966

Barclaycard1966

plastic money1969

plastic1975

key card1985

1969 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald-Jrnl. 21 Jan. 10 (advt.) Marine Midland introduces plastic money. Good all over America. Now one slim card replaces the fat wallet.

1974 Time 29 Apr. 93/3 About 503 million credit cards are in use in the U.S. today—proof enough that ‘plastic money’ is replacing the folding kind.

1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 506 There are..fewer blocks to extravagance when you're spending plastic money.

plastic paint n. paint which is thick and coarse enough to retain a texture given to it by a brush, spatula, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > painting or coating materials > [noun] > paint > types of

whitewash?1584

rough stuff1841

enamel paint1865

tempera1883

surfacer1885

Bitumastic1889

plastic paint1925

spray-paint1928

emulsion paint1939

Snowcem1939

Day-Glo1944

Artex1952

latex1954

matt1977

1925 Amer. Paint Trade Buyer's Guide 208/2 Plastic Paint—see Plastic Relief Compositions.

1955 Mod. Building Encycl. 492/2 In addition to the excellent proprietary materials available, plastic paints may be prepared from equal parts of distemper and plaster-of-paris.

1999 BBC Gardeners' World Apr. 30/3 You can paint it with plastic paint, but it will chip with hard wear and tear.

plastic sulphur n. Chemistry an amorphous allotrope of sulphur consisting of long tangled chains of sulphur atoms, produced by the sudden cooling of molten sulphur to a solid state.

ΚΠ

1858 T. Graham in H. Watts & R. Bridges Elements Inorg. Chem. 781 The gradual loss of transparency of the prismatic sulphur crystallized from fusion, arises, according to Brodie, from the hardening of plastic sulphur mechanically enclosed within the crystals.

1922 T. M. Lowry Inorg. Chem. xxv. 321 Liquid sulphur... When the viscous liquid is poured into water, a stringy mass of plastic sulphur is produced, which sets to a solid in the course of a few days.

1983 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Chem. 1011/2 Plastic sulfur exists as long zigzag chains of sulfur atoms, and if it is strongly stretched, it behaves like rubber.

plastic surgeon n. a specialist in plastic surgery.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > healer > surgeon > [noun] > performing specific operations > others

bone-setter?1518

circumciser1535

bronchotomist1670

acupuncturist1839

tenotomist1842

orthopaedist1853

plastic surgeon1863

resectionist1863

cephalotomist1869

amputator1882

brain surgeon1888

tracheotomist1891

neurosurgeon1925

face-lifter1928

plastician1928

psychosurgeon1945

orthopod1960

transplanter1970

1863 Lancet 21 Mar. 323 The almost innumerable plans adopted by plastic surgeons for the remedy of these deformities show how difficult that remedy has been found to be.

1974 J. Grady Six Days of Condor 83 The plastic surgeons had done a marvelous job on his ear.

1990 Pract. Health Spring 26/1 Just because he is a plastic surgeon doesn't mean he is experienced in cosmetic work—you don't want to be a guinea pig.

plastic surgery n. the branch of surgery dealing with the construction and reconstruction of superficial parts of the body that are defective, injured, or absent, and also using such procedures for cosmetic purposes.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > [noun] > types of surgery generally

plastic surgery1837

self-surgery1863

oral surgery1866

electrosurgery1870

Listerism1880

morioplasty1880

brain surgery1881

tachytomy1898

neurosurgery1904

radiosurgery1929

psychosurgery1936

microsurgery1959

microsurgery1960

cryosurgery1962

day surgery1968

work1968

biosurgery1969

psychic surgery1975

telesurgery1976

1837 [see sense B. 1b].

1897 W. Anderson On Surg. Treatm. Lupus 14 The raw surface may be covered in partially or completely by gliding portions of detached integument from an adjacent part, or other resources of plastic surgery may be employed.

1972 Daily Tel. 18 July 3/3 After the accident she had plastic surgery, but found fashion jobs hard to get because of her scars.

1993 Options Aug. 27/1 I've never had plastic surgery, though people always think I've had a nose job.

plastic wood n. a mouldable material that hardens to resemble wood, used for filling knot holes, crevices, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > cement or mortar > [noun] > material resembling cement > fillers for wood or metal

plastic wood1866

beaumontage1888

filler1904

Polyfilla1956

1866 Catholic World Feb. 715/2 Among new inventions we hear of plastic wood, or rather of a method by which wood can be rendered plastic, and so applied to various novel purposes.

1921 Engineering 9 Dec. 785 This material..is named by the firm ‘Plastic Wood’. It is a collodion preparation made with very fine wood meal, and as supplied ready for use is of the consistency of soft putty.

1991 Do it Yourself Feb. 27/3 If you have cracks and holes to fill in a piece of dark-finished furniture..choose a plastic wood which near enough matches.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online December 2022).

单词	plastic
释义	plasticn.adj. Brit. /ˈplastɪk/, U.S. /ˈplæstɪk/ Forms: 1500s–1600s plasticke, 1600s plaistique, 1600s–1700s plastique, 1600s–1800s plastick, 1600s– plastic, 1700s plaistic. Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Italian. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: Italian plastica; Latin plasticē, plasticus. Etymology: In use as noun originally (in sense A. 1a) < (i) Italian plastica (1584 in the passage translated in quot. 1598² at sense A. 1a; 1476 as plastice ; compare arte plastica (1585)), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin plasticē (Pliny; in post-classical Latin also plastica (late 2nd or early 3rd cent. in Tertullian)) < ancient Greek πλαστική , use as noun (short for πλαστική τεχνή the plastic art) of feminine of πλαστικός , adjective (see below); in sense A. 1b < (iii) post-classical Latin plasticus moulder, sculptor (4th cent.), use as noun of plasticus , adjective (see below). Compare French plastique the art of modelling (1765), physical appearance of the body (1865), solid material that can be moulded (1875, used as an umbrella term; subsequently also in sense ‘synthetic material’, after English), plastic explosive (1945 as plastic : see below), German Plastik the art of modelling (18th cent., < French), a product of this (19th cent.), synthetic material (20th cent.; < English). Compare plastique n. In use as adjective (sense B.) directly < (iv) classical Latin plasticus of or belonging to the art of modelling (Vitruvius), in post-classical Latin also creative (c950 in a British source) < ancient Greek πλαστικός that may be moulded, belonging to moulding or modelling, plastic, in Hellenistic Greek also gifted in sculpture < πλαστός formed, moulded, that can easily be moulded ( < πλάσσειν to mould, form, of uncertain origin + -τός , suffix forming verbal adjectives) + -ικός -ic suffix. Compare French plastique relating to modelling (1553 in art plastique ; compare plastic art n. at Compounds 2b). Compare later plastical adj.With A. 3c compare French plastic (1945, also plastique ; < English plastic (in plastic explosive n. at Compounds 2b)). Compare earlier plasticate v. 2. In plastic clay n. at Compounds 2b after French argile plastique (Cuvier & Brongniart 1808, in Jrnl. des Mines 23 432). In plastic lymph n. at Compounds 2b after German plastische Lymphe (1825 in the source translated in quot. 1827 for plastic lymph n. at Compounds 2b. In plastic surgery n. at Compounds 2b, perhaps after German plastische Chirurgie (1838 or earlier: see quot. below), but compare slightly earlier quot. 1837 at sense B. 1b. Compare:1941 Ann. Surg. 113 642 The title of Eduard Zeis' (1807–1868) book, published in 1838, was Handbuch der Plastischen Chirurgie, and he says: ‘As far as I know I was the first to use the words “plastic surgery”.’ A. n. †1. a. The art of modelling or sculpting figures, esp. in clay or wax. Also figurative. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [noun] plastic1598 plastic art1624 plastic1881 1598 R. Haydocke tr. G. P. Lomazzo Tracte Artes Paintinge Pref. 7 Painting, Carving and Plasticke [It. la plastica scultura] are all but one and the same arte. 1598 R. Haydocke tr. G. P. Lomazzo Tracte Artes Paintinge ii. xiv. 61 Carving is nothing else but a painefull imitation of Plasticke [It. la scoltura non è altro che vna imitatione faticosa della Plastica]. 1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. ii. 107 Plastique is not only vnder Sculpture, but indeed very Sculpture it selfe: but with this difference; that the Plasterer doth make his Figures by Addition, and the Carver by Subtraction. 1684 tr. H. C. Agrippa Vanity Arts & Sci. (new ed.) xxv. 70 Of Statuary and Plastick. b. A modeller, a moulder, a sculptor. Also figurative: a fashioner, a creator. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > [noun] > creator forgerc1380 authora1382 feigner1382 formerc1386 founderc1390 makera1450 plasmatoura1500 constitutor1531 framer1534 creator1548 fashioner1548 opificer1548 essentiator1561 creatress1590 effecter1591 compactor1593 moulder1594 creatrix1595 mouldress1599 effector1635 composer1644 plastic1644 opifex1649 fabricator1650 formator1656 efformer1662 essentializer1669 constituenta1676 crafter1907 society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [noun] > artist plastic1644 plastic artist1741 1644 J. Bulwer Chirologia 58 It is impossible for any Painter, or Carver, or Plastique to give right motions to his works or Hand. 1661 G. Rust Let. conc. Origen in Phœnix (1721) I. 75 The beautiful Idea, according to which the Plastick works. 1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing 128 'Tis education is our Plastick. 1694 R. Burthogge Ess. Reason 247 For in this Terrestrial World, as to the several Regions of it, the Animal, the Vegetable, and the Mineral, it is as certain, that all had but one Plastic, as that the Body of a Man, or any other particular Animal, had not more. 1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. i. ii. 10 Ours is a most fictile world; and man is the most fingent plastic of creatures. 1881 A. Trumble Slang Dict. N.Y., London & Paris 27/2 Plastic, a model artist. c. A sculpted or modelled figure. Also figurative. Frequently in plural. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > statuary > [noun] > statue likenessOE imagec1225 figurea1300 signa1382 statuea1393 staturea1393 statutea1393 statutec1430 statuac1450 picture1517 idol1548 portraiture1548 pattern1582 portrait1585 icon1587 monument1594 simulacrum1599 statuary1599 plastic1686 make1890 1686 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Staffs. viii. 272 How dame Nature came thus to miscarry in her plastics. 1767 P. Luckombe Beauties of Eng. (ed. 3) 231 Among the ruins are many fragments of Roman urns, and others of their plastics. 1850 J. Leitch tr. K. O. Müller Ancient Art (new ed.) §20. 7 The living plastics of the gymnic games and choral dances were afterwards..exalted in a surprising manner by sculpture in stone and brass. †2. With the. a. The creative or procreative principle. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > [noun] > creative ability or power plastic1661 inventiveness1668 creativeness1805 1661 J. Glanvill Vanity of Dogmatizing 214 To the knowledge of the poorest simple, we must first know its efficient, the manner, and method of its efformation, and the nature of the Plastick. 1682 H. More Annot. Disc. Truth 238 in Two Choice & Useful Treat. All Souls are indued with the Plastick whether of Brutes or Men. b. Plastic art. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [noun] plastic1598 plastic art1624 plastic1881 1881 H. James Portrait of Lady xxxvi, in Macmillan's Mag. June 87/1 His appreciation..was based partly on his fine sense of the plastic. 3. a. A substance that is easily moulded or shaped under some conditions but that solidifies as it cools, dries, etc. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > types of material generally > [noun] > plastic or mouldable mould1547 plastic1803 the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [noun] > plasticity > plastic substance paste1390 dough1558 conspersion1607 plastic1803 Melmac1941 1803 H. J. Sarrett New Picture London 80 The ornaments are plastick, a composition something like plaster of Paris. 1875 R. W. Emerson Lett. & Social Aims iv. 114 Ah! what a plastic he is! so shifty, so adaptive! 1896 U.S. Patent 568,016 2/1 After said plastic has become hard the seal is firmly locked thereby in the neck of the bottle. 1923 Blackwood's Mag. June 722/2 In the evenings Roupin constructed in plastic..a complete model of Haidar Pasha. 1933 L. F. Rahm Plastic Molding ii. 19 The molding properties of rubber are such as to make it one of the simplest plastics to handle. 1944 E. C. Jahn in L. E. Wise Wood Chem. xxiii. 820 In 1942..wood and lignin plastics are still largely in the developmental stage. b. Any of a large and varied class of materials used widely in manufacturing, which are organic polymers of high molecular weight, now usually based on synthetic materials, and may be moulded, extruded, or cast when they are soft or liquid, and then set into a rigid or slightly elastic form. Also as a mass noun: material of this kind.laminated, reinforced plastic: see the first element. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > synthetic resins and plastics > [noun] > plastic plastic1909 muckite1935 1909 L. H. Baekeland in Jrnl. Industr. & Engin. Chem. 1 156/2 As an insulator..it [sc. Bakelite] is far superior to hard rubber, casein, celluloid, shellac and in fact all plastics. 1911 E. C. Worden Nitrocellulose Industry II. xiv. 691 Pyroxylin plastic is extensively used for the bits of pipe stems, and consists of ordinary plastic containing..dyestuffs, picric acid, [etc.]. 1928 Chem. Abstr. 22 4209 Plastics are defined as materials that are horny and elastic at ordinary temp. but can be molded at higher temp. They include (1) cellulose plastics, (2) artificial resins and (3) protein plastics. 1935 Economist 7 Dec. 1140/1 The use of plastics in the motor accessory field will undoubtedly increase. 1945 Daily Mirror 27 Sept. 3/1 British-made women's shoes in ‘patent leather’ plastics may be on sale next summer. 1963 H. R. Clauser Encycl. Engin. Materials 486/2 Silicones are unique among plastics, in that they are semiorganic, i.e., the molecular spine has alternating silicon and oxygen atoms with organic groups attached to the silicon. 1976 National Geographic June 707 (advt.) There is a need for a plastic that will retain its clarity and stand up to a lot of punishment. 1990 Buzzworm Nov.–Dec. 71/2 Don't buy plastic unless it is recycled or recyclable plastic. c. = plastic explosive n. at Compounds 2b. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > explosive device > [noun] > plastic explosive plastic explosive1907 PE1949 plastic1966 plastique1968 Semtex1985 1966 M. R. D. Foot SOE in France xi. 367 Though they had no plastic, they could get unlimited dynamite from the mines. 1968 D. Lampe Last Ditch vii. 75 Plastic is a form of cyclonite,..and is still today the standard military sabotage high explosive. 1978 T. Allbeury Lantern Network ix. 112 Parker..showed them how to wire the plastic so that a whole length of track was taken out in a single explosion. 4. colloquial. a. The material of which records are made, vinyl; (hence) vinyl records collectively. Cf. vinyl n. 2c.Originally and frequently in on plastic: in the form of a record, as a recording. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > sound recording or reproducing equipment > [noun] > material for record blank1940 plastic1969 vinyl1976 society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > a sound recording > [noun] > record or disc > collectively plastic1969 1969 Crawdaddy! Aug. 26 This is..very much a result of the producer's concept of what it is he's trying to capture on plastic. 1977 Chainsaw Sept. 8/1 This is the best thing the Adverts have put down on plastic this year. 1993 Time Out 31 Mar. 92/4 Resident DJs, Jez Nelson and Debra continue to spin funky jazzy plastic. 1995 C. Bateman Divorcing Jack ii. 19 The needle jumped a couple of times and Mouse ripped off the album, throwing it on top of a burgeoning pile of sleeveless plastic. b. A credit card, debit card, or similar; such cards collectively. Cf. plastic money n. at Compounds 2b. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [noun] > credit card credit card1888 plastic card1939 bank card1947 card1950 banker's card1966 Barclaycard1966 plastic money1969 plastic1975 key card1985 society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [adjective] > money or credit via a credit card plastic1975 1975 D. Jenkins Dead Solid Perfect 214 She had a whole purse full of plastic. 1988 Which? July 299/2 To use your plastic in a cash machine, you need a personal identification number (PIN). 1993 Harper's Mag. Oct. 81/1 My personal fear of plastic (I cannot let a credit-card bill lie unpaid on my desk overnight) clearly has origins in my father's dealing with it. 2001 M. Blake 24 Karat Schmooze xx. 228 Lomax beamed.., seeing his reinstatement in London's finer restaurants and fresh plastic in his wallet. B. adj. I. That moulds. 1. a. Characterized by or capable of moulding or shaping clay, wax, or other soft or formless materials. Also figurative.Recorded earliest in plastic art n. at Compounds 2b. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > [adjective] > shaping or able to shape informativea1398 shaping1398 forging1593 plastical1615 effigiating1616 plastic1624 forming1644 efformative1647 plasmatical1647 plasmatic1651 moulding1665 fashionative1693 modelizing1716 configurating1808 configurative1817 formatory1868 crystallizing1883 configurational1969 1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. ii. 108 Of this Plastique Art, the chiefe vse with us is in the gracefull fretting of roofes. a1637 B. Jonson Magnetick Lady iv. Chorus 18 in Wks. (1640) III Not..as wee were to mould every Scene anew: That were a meere Plastick, or Potters ambition. 1728 A. Pope Dunciad i. 89 So watchful Bruin forms with plastic care Each growing lump, and brings it to a Bear. 1745 J. G. Cooper Power Harmony i. 21 As o'er the rock the plastic chissel moves. 1852 tr. Müller's Archæol. Art 65 The plastic talent which creates material forms cannot certainly fail to be recognized even as early as Homer. 1961 Amer. Heritage Bk. Indians 49/2 The uncanny plastic skill and a certain taste for the maimed and the monstrous hint faintly..at an echo of the proto-Olmec mind. b. Of, relating to, or designating plastic surgery (see plastic surgery n. at Compounds 2b). ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > [adjective] > types of surgery generally minor1825 exploratory1828 plastic1837 electrosurgical1870 Listerian1880 open1894 neurosurgical1918 micro-operative1922 cosmetic1926 microsurgical1927 radiosurgical1928 atraumatic1934 psychosurgical1946 cryosurgical1962 1837 Lancet 23 Dec. 47 Plastic surgery..a branch of surgery in which alone the operating surgeon becomes a real artist. 1839 Brit. & Foreign Med. Rev. 7 393 Syphilis, lupus, scrofula, &c. have made cases whereon to exercise the ingenuity of the plastic operator. 1883 T. Holmes & J. W. Hulke Syst. Surg. (ed. 3) III. 681 Plastic operations on the cheek (meloplasty). 1982 A. F. Wallace Progress Plastic Surg. xix. 163 The defect would have to be covered by means of a plastic procedure. 1990 Physiotherapy 76 (Advt. Suppl.) p. xvii/2 There will..be an opportunity to gain experience on the regional burns and plastic unit. †2. Causing the growth or production of natural forms, esp. of living things; formative, procreative; creative. Obsolete.Formerly, in a quasi-philosophical sense, as an attribute of an alleged principle, virtue, or force in nature. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > [adjective] > creating, fashioning, shaping, or forming > having the ability or power to create or creative formative1490 factive1535 constitutive1592 plastical1615 forming1644 plastic1646 elaborative1845 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica 117 The plastick or formative faculty, from matter appearing homogeneous and of a similary substance erecteth bones, membranes, veynes and arteries. View more context for this quotation 1658 Sir T. Browne Garden of Cyrus iii, in Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall 129 In what diminutives the plastick principle lodgeth, is exemplified in seeds. a1676 M. Hale Primitive Originat. Mankind (1677) ii. vii. 192 Those that think that these Conchæ or Petrified Shells were no other than the Lusus naturæ, the Effects of the Plastick power of the Earth. 1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron I. iii. xiv. 196 He is positive as to the Being of God, and that not meerly as a plastic Nature, or Soul of the World. 1794 S. T. Coleridge in Morning Chron. 26 Dec. 3/2 Like that great Spirit who with plastic sweep, Mov'd on the darkness of the formless Deep. 1830 C. Lyell Princ. Geol. I. 23 The absurdity of having recourse to a certain ‘plastic force’, which it was said had power to fashion stones into organic forms. 1875 E. White Life in Christ (1878) i. iv. 30 The creation of groups by successive acts of divine power, or..by successive acts of the plastic force of nature. 1901 M. Foster Lect. Hist. Physiol. 82 The nerves exert what we now call a trophic action, the blood supplying the material, the nerves the vivifying and plastic force. 3. figurative. Generating or adapting non-material, aesthetic, or intellectual ideas, concepts, etc.; creative. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [adjective] imaginativec1405 inventivec1450 feigning1483 creativea1513 inventative1541 inventious1591 conceitful1594 forgetive1600 productive1612 projecting1614 excogitous1646 plastic1662 ingeniary1664 formful1730 forgeful1751 inventful1797 original-minded1797 original1803 originative1811 vivid1814 fingent1837 constructive1841 right-brained1871 poietic1905 1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ iii. i. §4 The great enquiry then is, how far this Plastick Power of the understanding, may extend its self in its forming an Idea of God. 1756 J. Warton Ess. on Pope I. iii. 111 The genuine poet, of a lively plastic imagination. 1783 J. O. Justamond tr. G. T. F. Raynal Philos. Hist. Europeans in Indies (new ed.) VI. 29 He considered the sign of wealth, as the plastic and preserving principle of political strength. a1856 W. Hamilton Lect. Metaphysics (1859) II. xlv. 500 Imagination creates, nothing..it only builds up old materials into new forms; and..ought, therefore, to be called, not the productive or creative, but the plastic. 1871 R. H. Hutton Ess. I. 133 There is a formative plastic power that is ever urging us towards our truest life. 1877 E. Dowden Shakspere (Macmillan Lit. Primers) v. 59 The compression of the large and rough matter of history into dramatic form demanded vigorous exercise of the plastic energy of the imagination. 1979 Stud. Eng. Lit. 1500–1900 19 704 Dickens's tendency towards montage..reflects an intensely visual and plastic imagination. II. Able to be moulded. 4. a. Of non-material things and conditions: able to be moulded or modified; impressionable, pliable; susceptible to influence; fluid, flexible. ΘΚΠ the world > time > change > changeableness > [adjective] slidinga900 wankleeOE windyc1000 unsteadfastc1200 fleeting?c1225 loose?c1225 brotelc1315 unstablec1340 varyingc1340 variantc1374 motleyc1380 ungroundedc1380 muablea1393 passiblea1393 remuablea1393 changeablea1398 movablea1398 variablec1397 slidderya1400 ticklec1400 variantc1412 flitting1413 mutable?a1425 movingc1425 flaskisable1430 flickering1430 transmutablec1430 vertible1447 brittlea1450 ficklea1450 permutablec1450 unfirmc1450 uncertain1477 turnable1483 unsteadfast1483 vagrantc1522 inconstant1526 alterable?1531 stirringc1540 slippery1548 various1552 slid?1553 mutala1561 rolling1561 weathery1563 unconstant1568 interchangeable1574 fluctuant1575 stayless1575 transitive1575 voluble1575 changeling1577 queasy1579 desultory1581 huff-puff1582 unstaid1586 vagrant1586 changeful1590 floating1594 Protean1594 unstayed1594 swimming1596 anchorless1597 mobilec1600 ticklish1601 catching1603 labile1603 unrooted1604 quicksilvered1605 versatile1605 insubstantial1607 uncertain1609 brandling1611 rootless1611 squeasy1611 wind-changinga1616 insolid1618 ambulatory1625 versatilous1629 plastic1633 desultorious1637 unbottomed1641 fluid1642 fluent1648 yea-and-nay1648 versipellous1650 flexile1651 uncentred1652 variating1653 chequered1656 slideable1662 transchangeative1662 weathercock-like1663 flicketing1674 fluxa1677 lapsable1678 wanton1681 veering1684 upon the weathercock1702 contingent1703 unsettled?1726 fermentable1731 afloat1757 brickle1768 wavy1795 vagarious1798 unsettled1803 fitful1810 metamorphosical1811 undulating1815 tittupya1817 titubant1817 mutative1818 papier mâché1818 teetotum1819 vacillating1822 capricious1823 sensitive1828 quicksilvery1829 unengrafted1829 fluxionala1834 proteiform1833 liquid1835 tottlish1835 kaleidoscopic1846 versative1846 kaleidoscopical1858 tottery1861 choppy1865 variative1874 variational1879 wimbly-wambly1881 fluctuable1882 shifty1882 giveable1884 shifty1884 tippy1886 mutatory1890 upsettable1890 rocky1897 undulatory1897 streaky1898 tottly1905 tipply1906 up and down1907 inertialess1927 sometimey1946 rise-and-fall1950 switchable1961 1633 H. Wotton Let. 18 Apr. in L. P. Smith Life & Lett. Sir H. Wotton (1907) II. 338 Must needs consume all the active powers of any vegetable and leave nothing but a plastick and passive virtue. 1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Sensus Communis: Ess. Freedom of Wit 115 Such is Poetical, and such (if I may so call it) Graphical, or Plastick Truth. 1817 J. Bentham Chrestomathia Pt. II 133 Of all known languages, the Greek is assuredly in its structure the most plastic and most manageable. 1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 67 Plato..fancies that the life of the state is as plastic..as that of the individual. 1948 S. J. Perelman Westward Ha! ii. 26 It took only nine days of tramping the steamship offices to convince us how romantic we were and how plastic our itinerary would have to be. 1965 L. MacNeice Varieties of Parable i. 1 To some critics a symbol means something very plastic while to others it means something quite rigid. 1995 Atlantic Monthly Sept. 22 This is a rare plastic moment in history, if only this country's leaders would realise it. b. Of a material: that can be (easily) moulded or shaped; pliant, pliable; that readily takes a new form. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > [adjective] > able to be shaped formable1495 workable1545 fashionable1607 plastic1791 society > occupation and work > materials > types of material generally > [adjective] > mouldable or workable freec1300 malleablec1395 pliablec1475 workable1545 hammerable1611 mouldable1626 soluble1650 kind1747 plastic1791 temperable1841 mild1878 manipulable1881 the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [adjective] > plastic malleablec1395 pliablec1475 submissivea1593 waxen1594 cereous1601 mouldable1626 shapeable1647 soluble1650 fictile1676 wax-like1748 plastic1791 1791 E. Darwin Bot. Garden: Pt. I i. 85 Etruria! next beneath thy magic hands Glides the quick wheel, the plastic clay expands. 1797 W. Godwin Enquirer i. iii. 12 How unformed and plastic is his body! 1811 A. T. Thomson London Dispensatory i. p. cvii Kneading the coating material, so as to render it very plastic. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. xxii. 349 The ice..was plastic to pressure but not to tension. 1922 T. M. Lowry Inorg. Chem. xxx. 525 Wrought iron..is plastic enough to be welded at a red heat. 2001 Herald Sun (Melbourne) 3 Mar. w14 Puppies have fairly plastic bones and they tend to fold and crease rather than shatter. c. Biology. Relating to or exhibiting an adaptability to environmental changes; spec. relating to or exhibiting an ability to alter the neural connections of the brain as a result of experience, in the process of learning, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > balance of nature > organisms in relation to habitat > [adjective] fieldya1382 waterya1382 agrestial1608 subterranean1638 lucifugous1654 nemoral1656 subcutaneous1664 subterraneous1832 subtidal1852 xylophilous1862 xerophilous1863 acid-loving1870 aerobic1878 aerobian1879 aerobious1879 aerobiotic1880 subaquatic1880 aerophilous1885 facultative1887 pelagic1887 aerophile1888 autotrophic1893 heterotrophic1893 plastic1893 thermophilic1894 thermophil1896 mesophilic1897 halolimnic1898 polybathic1898 tolerant1898 limnetic1899 thermophilous1899 metatrophic1900 mixotrophic1900 paratrophic1900 mesophilous1901 benthic1902 epibenthic1902 eurybathic1902 microaerophilic1903 sympatric1904 benthoal1905 cryophile1907 benthonic1909 microaerophile1909 lenitic1916 lotic1916 psychrotolerant1924 oligosaprobic1925 polysaprobic1925 aerophilic1929 saprobic1932 primary1934 lentic1935 chemoautotrophic1936 eurytopic1937 psammic1938 saprotrophic1942 prototrophic1946 chemolithoautotrophic1949 auxotrophic1950 chemolithotrophic1953 chemoorganotrophic1953 opportunist1956 psychrophile1956 psychrophilic1958 opportunistic1960 psychrotrophic1960 oligosaprobe1990 1893 Science 15 Dec. 332/2 The theory assumes that protoplasm, like other matter, is extremely plastic and undergoes physical or molecular modifications with every action of the environment upon it. 1905 F. E. Clements Res. Methods Ecol. iii. 146 Stable plants are less susceptible of evolution than plastic ones. 1930 Jrnl. Ecol. 18 376 The broad-leaved plantain has proved, even within five months, exceedingly plastic. 1977 Sci. Amer. June 90/2 The hippocampus has proved to be a very ‘plastic’ brain area. 1989 Nature 12 Jan. 129/1 We are sure that many synapses are plastic, that is, they can change their strength with experience. 5. a. Relating to or produced by moulding, modelling, or sculpture. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [adjective] plastic1726 1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 32/2 This sort of Works, which are call'd Plastic [It. che si chiamano lavori di Terra]. 1863 M. Howitt tr. F. Bremer Greece & Greeks I. vii. 238 The Greeks have an abhorrence of any plastic images of the saints. 1888 Jrnl. Hellenic Stud. 9 32 There are no plastic works that seem to belong to the Alexandrine or later Greek style. 1939 R. Fry Last Lect. 77 But what an astonishing grasp of plastic form this head reveals, the sculptor has somehow got beyond the facts of appearance. 1972 Times 17 Oct. 12/1 (advt.) Classical antiquities, including an interesting group of Greek ‘plastic’ vases. b. Relating to or involving a permanent change in shape of a material, without fracture or rupture, by the temporary application of a force. Frequently in plastic deformation, plastic flow. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > constitution of matter > softness > pliableness > [adjective] > plastic > relating to or characterized by plasticity plastic1877 1877 Jrnl. Franklin Inst. 104 228 (heading) Plastic flow. 1879 Encycl. Brit. IX. 240/2 More shapely bricks are thus produced than by plastic moulding. 1888 W. C. Unwin Testing Materials Constr. i. 18 When a body is subjected to the action of external forces, it undergoes a deformation which is either a deformation which disappears if the load is removed (elastic deformation), or a deformation which remains after the load is removed (plastic deformation). 1923 R. Glazebrook Dict. Appl. Physics V. 400/1 A viscous, under-cooled liquid, may..undergo deformation of a ‘plastic’ (i.e. non-elastic) nature. 1963 E. S. Hills Elem. Struct. Geol. xii. 355 Plastic deformation of wall-rocks is exhibited around the Bald Rock batholith, California. 1990 P. Kearey & F. J. Vine Global Tectonics ii. 30 Plastic flow..occurs when the yield strength of the material is exceeded. 6. Medicine. Capable of, exhibiting, or producing organization; forming tissue, esp. fibrous tissue. Now rare except in plastic bronchitis (see plastic bronchitis n. at Compounds 2b).plastic lymph: see plastic lymph n. at Compounds 2b. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > substance > [adjective] > capable of becoming plastic1827 1827 Lancet 19 May 198/2 I have a preparation, where the pleura pulmonalis is so thick, from plastic exudations, as the back of a knife. 1851 W. B. Carpenter Man. Physiol. (ed. 2) 375 It gives origin to similar changes in the effused fibrine, which it converts from a plastic or organizable deposit, into an aplastic or unorganizable one, namely, pus. 1895 Lancet 30 Nov. 1349/2 The peritonitis which persisted being limited to the exudation of plastic material over the viscera beneath the wound. 1901 Lancet 19 Oct. 1053/2 He [sc. Virchow] saw the theory of a plastic exudation was arbitrary and erroneous. 1930 Lancet 4 Oct. 734/1 The pus secreted by the pleura is usually a plastic fibrinous material, of such low virulence that it can be organised into fibrous tissue where it coagulates on the walls of the containing cavity. III. Of or relating to plastic as a material ( A. 3b). 7. a. Made of or containing plastic; of the nature of a plastic. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > synthetic resins and plastics > [adjective] > plastic plastic1896 society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > synthetic resins and plastics > [adjective] > plastic > made of plastic1896 1896 U.S. Patent 562,656 2/2 Softening the edges of the small, hard plastic sheets and thus rendering them pliable. 1909 Chem. Abstr. 3 724 Artificial plastic materials industry... An interesting account..giving descriptions of the process for artificial rubber, leather, and substitutes; celluloid, viscoid, etc. 1911 E. C. Worden Nitrocellulose Industry II. xiv. 630 Formation of plastic rods and tubes was first successfully made by the patented process of I. and J. Hyatt. 1931 Brit. Plastics Year Bk. 17 We have pleasure in presenting to the Plastics Industry the first Year Book..dealing exclusively with Plastic Materials. 1940 Economist 29 June 1108/2 Plastic structural material has been introduced into the aircraft industry. 1951 A. Baron Rosie Hogarth 60 She..hung plastic curtains in his bedroom. 1958 Engineering 14 Mar. 349/1 Acid wastes are disposed of through plastic pipes. 1989 Woman's Realm 11 Apr. 25/3 He was wearing nothing but plastic beach shoes, a ragged sweatshirt and a towel draped around his neck. 2003 N. Slater Toast 98 We have a set of red plastic tart cutters with crinkle edges. b. figurative. Artificial, unnatural; superficial, insincere. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > affected behaviour or affectation > [adjective] > affected or put on for effect affectate?1555 affectated1574 affected1578 artificious1579 affective1630 theatrical1649 faux1684 false1791 posed1909 voulu1909 pseudish1938 hokey1945 pseudo1949 posé1958 plastic1963 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > deception by illusion, delusion > artificiality > [adjective] artful1609 arted1637 artificialized1684 fictitious1686 plastic1963 plasticized1968 1963 Daily Tel. 22 May 16 The plan's promoters must not take it amiss if, winking an eye, some of our elder oysters inquire whether plastic houses might not connote plastic people. 1970 Observer 15 Feb. (Colour Suppl.) 24/1 Sinister influences are at work to turn Fiji into another Hawaii, that plastic paradise further along the route. 1977 Daily Tel. 16 Apr. 16 The flabby, chalky, doughy slabs of our unpalatable plastic muck which masquerades as bread. 1992 Ms. Sept.–Oct. 25/1 She smiled forgivingly at my prim judgment, just as she'd smiled when, as a student, I'd scoffed at her pastel telephones, her ‘plastic’ L.A. life. Compounds C1. Compounds of the noun. a. General attributive uses of sense A. 3b.Frequently in plural in order to avoid possible confusion with branches B. I. and B. II. (a) In singular and plural. Of, relating to, or concerned with plastics. ΚΠ 1911 E. C. Worden Nitrocellulose Industry II. xiv. 578 The general principles of plastic manufacture. 1925 Plastics Oct. 7/1 The plastics industry. 1931 Brit. Plastics Year Bk. 69 The plastic trade consumes 1,200 tons of wood dust per annum for mouldings. 1957 J. Braine Room at Top 61 He owned a plastics factory, a tannery, a bodywork builders. 1960 I. Wallach Absence of Cello 16 He was a trouble-shooter..for a large plastic corporation. 1969 T. C. Thorstensen Pract. Leather Technol. xiv. 235 The increased ‘plastic look’ in leather may, in the long run, harm the marketing position of leather in its competition with synthetic materials. 1991 Rutgers Mag. Spring 37/1 Biegel is working with microorganisms that operate on phthalate, a byproduct of plastics manufacturing. (b) In plural. Made of or containing plastic; of the nature of a plastic. ΚΠ 1934 H. Read Art & Industry ii. 90 The wireless cabinet is an example of the encroachment of new plastics materials, such as bakelite, on a province hitherto reserved for wood. 1945 Sci. Amer. May 298/1 A recent development in plastics and electronics is a wafer-thin Vinylite plastics record, only seven inches in diameter. 1958 Engineering 7 Mar. 320/2 Various tools with plastics handles. 1971 Daily Tel. 15 Feb. 4/8 Plastics windows to protect passengers from stone~throwing are being installed in trains in the New York area. 1974 Brit. Standard 4998 (title) Moulded plastics dustbins. b. Instrumental. plastic-coated adj. ΚΠ 1940 N.Y. Times 11 Aug. f7/6 The first commercially practical plastic-coated paper packages will be put on the market this week. 1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 23 Feb. 69/1 The cab framework is constructed of precision steel tubing and the weatherproof roof of plastic-coated nylon fabric. 1993 Albuquerque (New Mexico) Jrnl. 4 Apr. c5/3 A 2-year-old gummed his mother's plastic-coated ration card. plastic-covered adj. ΚΠ 1938 C. C. Zimmerman Changing Community xx. 510 The other items of manufacture wooden (fabric or plastic covered) heels and paperboard boxes..are extremely cheap. 1973 ‘R. Lewis’ Blood Money viii. 125 There's a plastic-covered card identifying the dead man. 1994 B. Hambly Crossroad xiii. 194 The plastic-covered hawsers of power lines, confronted him. plastic-lined adj. ΚΠ 1941 Nevada State Jrnl. 18 May s2/4 The Dodgers used a plastic-lined cap developed by Dr Walter E. Dandy, brain specialist. 1969 Jane's Freight Containers 1968–9 239/3 The walls are of plastic-lined plywood plates. 1979 Tucson (Arizona) Mag. Apr. 64/2 Another alternative is a plastic-lined pool. plastic-tiled adj. ΚΠ 1948 Waterloo (Iowa) Courier 18 Jan. 24/4 Upstairs there are two bedrooms, a plastic-tiled bath in generous proportions and a sewing room. 1998 Providence (Rhode Island) Jrnl.-Bull. 15 Apr. 5 c DEK hockey is..played on the plastic-tiled floor of one of the center's four rinks. plastic-topped adj. ΚΠ 1941 Salisbury (Maryland) Times 4 Dec. 11/1 Pink-gingham boxed set has soap that looks and smells like flowers, plastic-topped cologne, and dusting powder. 1957 Observer 13 Oct. 1/2 The Queen and the Duke..walked to a plastic-topped limousine which drew away to drive to Government House. 1994 Loaded Sept. 40/1 Waiters..scuttle across the lino, bringing drinks to the customers seated at the plastic-topped tables. c. plastic-free adj. (of a product, process, etc.) that does not contain or make use of plastic; (of a person, group, or society) that avoids use of plastic materials, esp. due to concerns about pollution. Π 1971 Pop. Mech. Jan. 54H The metalmakers are winning back a few bits and pieces they gave up to plastics during the 1960s, but you'll never see an all-metal, plastic-free production car out of Detroit again. 1996 Age (Melbourne) 4 June 2 Frank's Elsternwick Bakery wanted to start a revolution. It wanted to lead the way..to a plastic-free world by refusing to give customers plastic bags. 2022 @CO2IN 8 June in twitter.com (accessed 10 June 2022) How to reduce ocean pollution: 1) Boycott single-use plastic 2) Shop local 3) Request plastic-free packaging. C2. Compounds of the adjective. a. Parasynthetic. plastic-macked adj. ΚΠ 1964 Guardian 9 Sept. 5/8 Plastic-macked parents and hordes of soggy children. plastic-mackintoshed adj. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adjective] > wearing waterproofed clothing > types of oilskinned1843 mackintoshed1860 plastic-mackintoshed1973 1973 J. Wainwright Devil you Don't 25 A plastic-mackintoshed young woman. b. plastic art n. (also †art plastic) the art of shaping or modelling; an art or craft involving this, as pottery, sculpture, etc.; (also) any art form that represents three-dimensional forms, as painting, etc.; frequently in plural. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [noun] plastic1598 plastic art1624 plastic1881 1624 H. Wotton Elements Archit. ii. 108 Of this Plastique Art, the chiefe vse with vs is in the gracefull fretting of roofes: but the Italians applie it, to the manteling of Chimneys, with great Figures. a1637 B. Jonson Timber 1572 in Wks. (1640) III The Art Plasticke was moulding in clay, or potters earth anciently. 1677 R. Plot Nat. Hist. Oxford-shire 251 He [sc. John Dwight] has so far advanced the Art Plastick, that 'tis dubious whether any man since Prometheus have excelled him. 1850 J. Leitch tr. K. O. Müller Ancient Art (new ed.) §69. 38 These wooden figures..had decidedly more resemblance to puppets (manequins) than to works of cultivated plastic art. 1996 J. Lanchester Debt to Pleasure (1997) 96 This is the law of proportion and rhythm that underlies all of the plastic arts, from cocktail-making and cooking to architecture, sculpture, pottering and dressmaking. 2002 Nation (N.Y.) 23 Dec. 40/2 Twyla Tharp..believes that ballet can express anything. This plastic art molds movement and form from nature. plastic artist n. an artist who moulds materials; a person who practises any of the plastic arts. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > plastic art > [noun] > artist plastic1644 plastic artist1741 1741 W. Warburton Divine Legation Moses II. 554 God, the great plastic Artist. 1926 W. Lewis Art of being Ruled vi. iv. 185 If the early Christian had been a plastic artist like the pagan whom he drove out,..he would have filled the world with statues of little children. 1996 Hispania 79 772 Statements by literary and plastic artists. plastic bag n. a bag made from plastic, esp. a disposable shopping bag. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > bag > [noun] > of other specific material net bag1598 hair bag1712 paper bag1723 thread bag1924 plastic bag1941 polybag1964 ziplock1974 buveera1994 kaveera1994 1941 Washington Post 12 Apr. 13 (advt.) Plastic bag, quilted. 1957 Daily Mail 5 Sept. 11/5 Pre-cooked hamburgers..in their little frozen transparent plastic bags. 1987 J. J. Steinfeld Our Hero in Cradel Confederation xviii. 99 The old man labouring with four plastic bags of groceries. 2003 Daily Tel. 20 Jan. 14/6 Plastics industry workers marched in Taipei yesterday, calling for Taiwan's environmental chief to step down in a protest against new curbs on plastic bags. plastic bronchitis n. Medicine bronchitis characterized by the production of sputum in the form of well-formed bronchial casts. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disorder of respiratory organs > [noun] > disorders of bronchi or trachea bronchitis1814 plastic bronchitis1827 tracheocele1828 tracheitis1859 bronchiectasis1873 peribronchitis1876 bronchorrhœa1877 bronchospasm1901 broncho-constriction1910 Wegener's granulomatosis1948 1827 J. Forbes tr. R. T. H. Laennec Treat. Dis. Chest (ed. 2) i. i. i. 61 The inflammatory affections of the mucous membrane of the bronchia, may be divided into the catarrhal, the plastic [Fr. plastiques] or crusty, and the ulcerous. 1877 F. T. Roberts Handbk. Med. (ed. 3) I. 376 Plastic or Croupous Bronchitis is almost always chronic. 1996 Ann. Allergy, Asthma & Immunol. 76 231 Plastic bronchitis is a rare disorder characterized by the formation and, sometimes dramatic expectoration of long, branching bronchial casts. plastic bronze n. soft bronze containing a high proportion of lead, used for bearings. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > alloy > [noun] > bronze > types of gunmetal1541 white bronze1834 findrinny1839 phosphor-bronze1875 plastic bronze1897 sentoku1902 lead bronze1937 1897 Overland Monthly Dec. 576/1 The entrance doors are galvano plastic bronze and plate glass. 1907 G. H. Clamer in Chem. Engineer Aug. 93 This alloy is largely sold under the name of ‘plastic bronze’. 1939 H. Carpenter & J. M. Robertson Metals II. xv. 1317 Alloys in the fifth group are those to which large amounts of lead are added to improve their suitability for certain types of bearings... These alloys are known as the ‘plastic’ or ‘leaded’ bronzes. 1954 Kempe's Engineer's Yearbk. I. 633 ‘Plastic’ bronze Cu 73 Sn 7 Pb 20. plastic bullet n. a bullet made of PVC or other plastic, typically used by security and police forces for riot control; cf. rubber bullet n. at rubber n.¹ Compounds 3. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > ammunition for firearms > [noun] > bullet or shell > bullet > types of bullet pistol bullet?1591 musket bullet1598 musket ball1637 silver bullet1648 three-o(h)-three1683 pistol ball1689 musket shot1755 Biscayen1812 picket1848 rifle bolt1849 Minié ball1851 Minié1852 expanding bullet1859 navy bullet1873 two-two1895 dum-dum1897 Lee-Enfield bullet1899 rubber bullet1900 full-metal-jacket1913 round-nose1932 thirty-two1942 plastic bullet1945 baton round1968 1945 Chicago Tribune 2 June 18/3 At Mount Sinai hospital, Dr. Jacob Lifschutz removed a plastic bullet..from the right lung of Paul Scarpelli. 1972 News Let. (Belfast) 11 Aug. 5/2 New devices for riot control, including a plastic bullet, have been issued to the Army in Northern Ireland. 1994 N.Y. Times 22 Nov. a10/5 His senior health official, Dr. Riad al-Zanoun, pointed to wounds that he said were made by plastic bullets. plastic card n. (a) a card made from or laminated with plastic; (b) spec. an electronically readable bank card, (now) esp. a credit card; cf. A. 3c. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [noun] > credit card credit card1888 plastic card1939 bank card1947 card1950 banker's card1966 Barclaycard1966 plastic money1969 plastic1975 key card1985 1939 Chicago Tribune 20 Oct. 7 (advt.) Here's an ‘ace of trumps’ for any bridge game. Plastic cards..that wear indefinitely and always look brand new. 1965 Times 14 Dec. 8/4 The principle of the system is that a local bank will provide its customers with plastic cards that can be electronically read and pass information..back by telephone. 1996 Voice 25 June 3/3 She was told that plastic card payments were not possible and that she'd have to pay by cash. 2003 Wall St. Jrnl. 9 July d5/5 GSM phones have a distinctive feature: a small, removable plastic card..that stores a user's account information..on an embedded chip. plastic clay n. (also Plastic clay) Geology clay particularly suited to being shaped; spec. (clay from) any of the middle group of the Eocene clay beds, immediately underlying the London clay (cf. Reading n.³ 3). ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > age or period > stratigraphic units > [noun] > tertiary or Cenozoic > Eocene > specific plastic clay1811 calcaire silicieux1833 Woolwich-beds1859 coryphodon bed1895 1811 J. Farey Gen. View Agric. Derbyshire I. 455 Clay is of important use, for lining the bottoms of..Artificial Ponds or Meers: tenacious or plastic clay fit for this purpose, they call Water-Clay. 1812 T. Webster Let. 2 Aug. in H. C. Englefield Descr. Isle of Wight (1816) 210 The clay connected with this sand is frequently fit for the potter, and hence has been called the plastic clay. 1885 C. Lyell Elem. Geol. (ed. 4) 229 Woolwich and Reading series.—..formerly called the Plastic clay, as it agrees with a similar clay used in pottery, which occupies the same position in the French series. 1961 B. Kummel Hist. Earth 8/2 Of the strata above the Purbeck beds and below the Plastic clay, the most conspicuous unit is the Chalk. plastic crystal n. †(a) a variety of Portland cement that can be easily moulded or shaped (obsolete); (b) a soft substance in which the molecules occupy the points of a regular crystal lattice but have freedom of rotation about those points. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > chemistry > crystallography (general) > crystal (general) > crystal types > [noun] negative crystal1831 plastic crystal1877 liquid crystal1891 cholesteric1965 mesomorph1969 1877 N.Y. Times 2 Sept. 9/4 The plastic crystal of dinas is described by C. Bis[c]hof as a species of Portland cement. 1926 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 112 346 Metallurgists..have recently become familiar with the conception of a plastic crystal which yields by slipping on a crystal plane. 1974 P. A. Winsor in G. W. Gray & P.A. Winsor Liquid Crystals & Plastic Crystals I. ii. 48 Plastic crystals separate in the crystal forms of the cubic system (rarely hexagonal) and to this extent resemble ordinary solid crystals. However, they show unusually low yield points. The most plastic..will flow under their own weight and although the majority are less soft, they may readily be cut with a knife or extruded through a small hole. plastic explosive n. a putty-like explosive that can be shaped by hand. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > explosive device > [noun] > plastic explosive plastic explosive1907 PE1949 plastic1966 plastique1968 Semtex1985 1907 C. E. Bichel Brit. Patent 16,882/1906 1 Add to the trinitrotoluol liquid resins..in such wise that..the crystalline trinitrotoluol with or without warming is worked in suitable mixing machines into a plastic explosive that detonates well. 1961 Times 12 July 10/3 Bombs made with plastic explosive were discovered not far from the entrance. 2002 Washington Post 4 Jan. a12/2 There are numerous varieties of plastic explosives, including C-4, which is produced by the U.S. military. plastic footprint n. a measure of the amount of plastic used and discarded (by an individual, business, etc.), over a given period of time. ΚΠ 2007 Statesman Jrnl. (Salem, Oregon) 10 Apr. c5/1 Reduce your plastic footprint. Choose products made from renewable resources. 2018 M. Dorey No. More. Plastic. 96 There are lots of alternative products on the market, as well as brands..that are working to reduce their plastic consumption.., so making informed choices will go some way to reducing your plastic footprint. plastic lumber n. North American synthetic wood made from recycled plastic. ΚΠ 1987 Food Engin. Nov. 23/1 Polyethylene when recycled has many uses, including base cups for beverage containers, flower pots, plastic lumber for outdoor furniture, boat docks, toys, pails, pipes and drums. 2004 Biocycle May 23/1 When purchasing structures such as decks, piers, benches, signs, bridges and trail markers, switch from wood to plastic lumber. plastic lymph n. Medicine (now rare) the substance believed to cause fibrous tissue formation during wound healing or inflammation. ΚΠ 1827 Lancet 19 May 198/2 I have even seen plastic lymph like the flakes of the white of an egg on the pleura costalis and pulmonalis. 1842 Times 21 July 11/1 (advt.) A secretion of plastic lymph, which ought entirely to obliterate this passage. 1888 P. H. Pye-Smith Fagge's Princ. & Pract. Med. (ed. 2) I. 66 In speaking of ‘plastic lymph’ as undergoing development into connective tissue and vessels, one means not the fibrin itself but the cells that are included in it. 1944 Amer. Jrnl. Surg. 66 309/2 The irritation produced by suture material and needle puncture causes an exudate of plastic lymph. plastic mac n. chiefly British a raincoat or mackintosh made from plastic. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for body or trunk (and limbs) > [noun] > coat > types of > weatherproof > waterproof > other Burberry1903 trench coat1914 trench1917 plastic maca1944 a1944 N. Coward Let's fly Away in B. Day N. Coward: Compl. Lyrics (1998) 216/3 Let's leave the milk-bar snacks, ‘Perms’ and breakfast foods To those girls in plastic macs, Slacks and pixie hoods. 1958 Observer 6 July 9/4 The light plastic mac, easily stuffed into pocket or bag, comes into its own during the British summer. 2004 Evening Chron. (Newcastle) (Nexis) 31 July 6 There were plastic macs on sale at the festival and a kind of camaraderie came over the crowd as the rain pelted down from the grey sky. plastic merit n. merit or value as a piece of sculpture. ΚΠ 1841 W. Spalding Italy & Ital. Islands I. 217 Four Bronze Horses..more noted for their adventures and undoubted antiquity than for their plastic merit. 1924 Jrnl. Rom. Stud. 14 283 In the Berlin pyx they would see there was a distinct resemblance with a difference: the figure of Christ had no longer the plastic merit or ease of pose. 1957 Yale French Stud. No. 19/20. 41 The plastic merit of the works of these different artists is obviously unequal. plastic money n. colloquial (originally U.S.) plastic credit cards, etc., considered as a form of money; cf. sense A. 4b. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > cheques and drafts > [noun] > credit card credit card1888 plastic card1939 bank card1947 card1950 banker's card1966 Barclaycard1966 plastic money1969 plastic1975 key card1985 1969 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald-Jrnl. 21 Jan. 10 (advt.) Marine Midland introduces plastic money. Good all over America. Now one slim card replaces the fat wallet. 1974 Time 29 Apr. 93/3 About 503 million credit cards are in use in the U.S. today—proof enough that ‘plastic money’ is replacing the folding kind. 1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 506 There are..fewer blocks to extravagance when you're spending plastic money. plastic paint n. paint which is thick and coarse enough to retain a texture given to it by a brush, spatula, etc. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > painting or coating materials > [noun] > paint > types of whitewash?1584 rough stuff1841 enamel paint1865 tempera1883 surfacer1885 Bitumastic1889 plastic paint1925 spray-paint1928 emulsion paint1939 Snowcem1939 Day-Glo1944 Artex1952 latex1954 matt1977 1925 Amer. Paint Trade Buyer's Guide 208/2 Plastic Paint—see Plastic Relief Compositions. 1955 Mod. Building Encycl. 492/2 In addition to the excellent proprietary materials available, plastic paints may be prepared from equal parts of distemper and plaster-of-paris. 1999 BBC Gardeners' World Apr. 30/3 You can paint it with plastic paint, but it will chip with hard wear and tear. plastic sulphur n. Chemistry an amorphous allotrope of sulphur consisting of long tangled chains of sulphur atoms, produced by the sudden cooling of molten sulphur to a solid state. ΚΠ 1858 T. Graham in H. Watts & R. Bridges Elements Inorg. Chem. 781 The gradual loss of transparency of the prismatic sulphur crystallized from fusion, arises, according to Brodie, from the hardening of plastic sulphur mechanically enclosed within the crystals. 1922 T. M. Lowry Inorg. Chem. xxv. 321 Liquid sulphur... When the viscous liquid is poured into water, a stringy mass of plastic sulphur is produced, which sets to a solid in the course of a few days. 1983 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Chem. 1011/2 Plastic sulfur exists as long zigzag chains of sulfur atoms, and if it is strongly stretched, it behaves like rubber. plastic surgeon n. a specialist in plastic surgery. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > healer > surgeon > [noun] > performing specific operations > others bone-setter?1518 circumciser1535 bronchotomist1670 acupuncturist1839 tenotomist1842 orthopaedist1853 plastic surgeon1863 resectionist1863 cephalotomist1869 amputator1882 brain surgeon1888 tracheotomist1891 neurosurgeon1925 face-lifter1928 plastician1928 psychosurgeon1945 orthopod1960 transplanter1970 1863 Lancet 21 Mar. 323 The almost innumerable plans adopted by plastic surgeons for the remedy of these deformities show how difficult that remedy has been found to be. 1974 J. Grady Six Days of Condor 83 The plastic surgeons had done a marvelous job on his ear. 1990 Pract. Health Spring 26/1 Just because he is a plastic surgeon doesn't mean he is experienced in cosmetic work—you don't want to be a guinea pig. plastic surgery n. the branch of surgery dealing with the construction and reconstruction of superficial parts of the body that are defective, injured, or absent, and also using such procedures for cosmetic purposes. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > [noun] > types of surgery generally plastic surgery1837 self-surgery1863 oral surgery1866 electrosurgery1870 Listerism1880 morioplasty1880 brain surgery1881 tachytomy1898 neurosurgery1904 radiosurgery1929 psychosurgery1936 microsurgery1959 microsurgery1960 cryosurgery1962 day surgery1968 work1968 biosurgery1969 psychic surgery1975 telesurgery1976 1837 [see sense B. 1b]. 1897 W. Anderson On Surg. Treatm. Lupus 14 The raw surface may be covered in partially or completely by gliding portions of detached integument from an adjacent part, or other resources of plastic surgery may be employed. 1972 Daily Tel. 18 July 3/3 After the accident she had plastic surgery, but found fashion jobs hard to get because of her scars. 1993 Options Aug. 27/1 I've never had plastic surgery, though people always think I've had a nose job. plastic wood n. a mouldable material that hardens to resemble wood, used for filling knot holes, crevices, etc. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > cement or mortar > [noun] > material resembling cement > fillers for wood or metal plastic wood1866 beaumontage1888 filler1904 Polyfilla1956 1866 Catholic World Feb. 715/2 Among new inventions we hear of plastic wood, or rather of a method by which wood can be rendered plastic, and so applied to various novel purposes. 1921 Engineering 9 Dec. 785 This material..is named by the firm ‘Plastic Wood’. It is a collodion preparation made with very fine wood meal, and as supplied ready for use is of the consistency of soft putty. 1991 Do it Yourself Feb. 27/3 If you have cracks and holes to fill in a piece of dark-finished furniture..choose a plastic wood which near enough matches. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2006; most recently modified version published online December 2022). > see also also refers to : -plasticcomb. form < n.adj.1598 see also
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plasticn.adj.

Compounds

> see also