'polymer' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'polu-' (from 'polus') and '‑mer' (from 'meros'), where 'polus' meant 'many' and 'meros' meant 'part'.

'polymer' entered scientific English in the 19th century via Neo‑Latin/European usage (e.g. German 'Polymer' and French 'polymère') and became the modern English word 'polymer'.

Initially it meant 'consisting of many parts', and over time it evolved into its current scientific meaning of 'a large molecule made of repeating units (monomers)'.