poly
1 of 3noun
poly
2 of 3adjective
Donald Harstad Heather Nicollpoly-
3 of 3combining form
Example Sentences
Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Sep. 2022 The product: Chrysalis is a reusable shipping bag designed to replace poly-mailers and reusable shipping boxes. Kiran Herbert, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2020 In Joanna’s experience, poly-mono frequently doesn’t work. Natasha Preskey, refinery29.com, 26 May 2021 Whatever, the cob impalers are made of an attractive dark poly-something resin. Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2021 In Joanna’s experience, poly-mono frequently doesn’t work. Natasha Preskey, refinery29.com, 26 May 2021 In Joanna’s experience, poly-mono frequently doesn’t work. Natasha Preskey, refinery29.com, 26 May 2021 In Joanna’s experience, poly-mono frequently doesn’t work. Natasha Preskey, refinery29.com, 26 May 2021 In Joanna’s experience, poly-mono frequently doesn’t work. Natasha Preskey, refinery29.com, 26 May 2021 See More Word History
Noun
short for polymer
Adjective
by shortening
Combining form
borrowed from Greek, combining form of polýs (feminine pollḗ, neuter polý) "large, great (in size), many, much, great (in amount or degree)," going back to Indo-European *pelh1-u-, *pl̥h1-u-, a u-stem quantifier meaning "much, many," whence also Germanic *felu- (< *pelh1-u-) (whence Old English fela, feola "much, a great number, many," Old Frisian felo, fele, Old Saxon & Old High German filu "much, many, to a high degree," Old Icelandic fjǫl- "much, many" [in compounds], Gothic filu), Old Irish il "many, much" (< *pelh1-u-), Sanskrit purú- "much, many, abundant," Avestan pouru-, Old Persian paru- (all < *pl̥h1-u-; compare Sanskrit feminine pūrvī́- < *pl̥h1-u̯ih2-)
Note: The source of the o in the Greek form, which is not reflected in the other languages, has been the subject of debate. A. Sihler (New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, p. 43) points out that Cowgill's Law (turning o to u in Greek between a labial consonant and a resonant, in either order) should have resulted in *pylýs rather than polýs. G. Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, s.v. *felu-) accounts for the o via a paradigm *pélh1-us (common gender nominative), *pl̥h1-u̯-ós (genitive), *pólh1-u- (neuter nominative), *pl̥h1-éu̯-s (genitive). The base *pelh1- is generally regarded as a secondary full grade form of the verbal base *pleh1- "become full"—see full entry 1.
Noun
1942, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
1992, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing poly
Kids Definition
poly-
prefix
Medical Definition
poly
noun