polymerization
|pol-y-mer-i-za-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌpɑːləməraɪˈzeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌpɒlɪməraɪˈzeɪʃən/
joining many parts into one (forming long chains)
Etymology
'polymerization' originates from the English combination of 'polymer' and the suffix '-ization'. 'Polymer' comes from Greek elements 'poly-' meaning 'many' and 'meros' meaning 'part', while the suffix '-ization' is from French/Latin formation indicating an action or process.
'polymer' entered scientific English in the 19th century from Modern Latin/Greek (Greek 'polymēros' 'of many parts'), and the formation 'polymerization' developed in English by attaching the productive suffix '-ization' to denote the process of forming polymers.
Initially the Greek root meant 'of many parts', but over time the compound term came to mean specifically 'the process of joining many monomer units to form a polymer', which is its current technical meaning.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the chemical process by which small molecules called monomers join together to form a polymer (long-chain molecule or network).
Polymerization of ethylene produces polyethylene, a common plastic.
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Noun 2
the state or extent to which monomer units have been linked (degree of polymer formation); often used to describe the result or amount of polymer formed.
The polymerization in this batch was incomplete, resulting in a lower molecular weight material.
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Last updated: 2025/09/09 19:25