plasticizer
|plas-ti-ci-zer|
🇺🇸
/ˈplæs.tɪ.saɪ.zər/
🇬🇧
/ˈplæs.tɪ.saɪ.zə/
make flexible
Etymology
'plasticizer' originates from English, specifically formed from the verb 'plasticize' with the agent suffix '-er', where 'plasticize' comes from 'plastic' (ultimately from Greek 'plastikos').
'plastic' comes from Greek 'plastikos' (through Latin/French into English); 'plasticize' is a modern English formation meaning 'to make plastic or flexible', and 'plasticizer' developed from 'plasticize' + '-er' in modern English usage (19th–20th century).
Initially, 'plastic' meant 'capable of being shaped or molded'; over time the related forms ('plasticize', 'plasticizer') came to mean specifically 'an agent that imparts flexibility or workability to materials', narrowing the use to chemical additives.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a substance added to plastics (especially PVC) to increase their flexibility, workability, or toughness by reducing intermolecular forces and lowering the glass transition temperature.
They added a plasticizer to the PVC to make the material flexible for use in tubing.
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Noun 2
a chemical added to concrete or other mixtures to improve workability or reduce brittleness (used less commonly than for polymers).
The construction mix included a plasticizer to improve flow and reduce cracking during setting.
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Last updated: 2025/11/14 18:20