POLYMER

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does polymer mean? 

• POLYMER (noun)
  The noun POLYMER has 1 sense:

1. a naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers

  Familiarity information: POLYMER used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• POLYMER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Hypernyms ("polymer" is a kind of...):

chemical compound; compound ((chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "polymer"):

deoxyribonucleic acid; desoxyribonucleic acid; DNA ((biochemistry) a long linear polymer found in the nucleus of a cell and formed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix; associated with the transmission of genetic information)

ribonucleic acid; RNA ((biochemistry) a long linear polymer of nucleotides found in the nucleus but mainly in the cytoplasm of a cell where it is associated with microsomes; it transmits genetic information from DNA to the cytoplasm and controls certain chemical processes in the cell)

synthetic resin (a resin having a polymeric structure; especially a resin in the raw state; used chiefly in plastics)

copolymer (a polymer consisting of two or more different monomers)

polyurethan; polyurethane (any of various polymers containing the urethane radical; a wide variety of synthetic forms are made and used as adhesives or plastics or paints or rubber)

lignin (a complex polymer; the chief constituent of wood other than carbohydrates; binds to cellulose fibers to harden and strengthen cell walls of plants)

polyamide; polymeric amide (a polymer containing repeated amide groups)

silicone; silicone polymer (any of a large class of siloxanes that are unusually stable over a wide range of temperatures; used in lubricants and adhesives and coatings and synthetic rubber and electrical insulation)

trimer (a polymer (or a molecule of a polymer) consisting of three identical monomers)

Derivation:

polymeric (of or relating to or consisting of a polymer)

polymerize (undergo polymerization)

polymerize (cause (a compound) to polymerize)

 Context examples 

The team made nanoparticles out of the polymer polydiacetylene.

(3-D gel-nanoparticle device detoxifies blood, NIH)

The material, developed by researchers from the University of Cambridge, is made of tiny particles of gold coated in a polymer shell, and then squeezed into microdroplets of water in oil.

(Colour-changing artificial ‘chameleon skin’ powered by nanomachines, University of Cambridge)

The researchers developed nanoparticles with a core containing Rosi or PGE2 along with a polymer called PLGA that enables slow release of the drug.

(Nanoparticles target, transform fat tissue, NIH)

Organic semiconductors have not been realistic candidates for spintronics so far because it was impossible to move spins around a polymer circuit far enough without losing the original information.

(Certain organic semiconducting materials can transport spin faster than they conduct charge, University of Cambridge)

Any covalent linkage between two polymers or between two different regions of the same polymer.

(Cross Link, NCI Thesaurus)

A sequence of biological or biochemical events that result in the catabolism of large molecules or polymers.

(Degradation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus)

A paclitaxel formulation containing paclitaxel incorporated in biodegradable polyphosphoester (PPE) polymer form with potential antineoplastic activity.

(Paclitaxel PPE Microspheres, NCI Thesaurus)

A DNA polymer made up of a small number of nucleotides.

(Oligonucleotide, NCI Thesaurus)

Nucleic Acid Cleavage is any process that hydrolytically cleaves either the glycosidic bond or the sugar-phospate ester bond of a oligoribonucleotide or deoxyoligoribonucleotide polymer.

(Nucleic Acid Cleavage, NCI Thesaurus)

A dendrimer is a tree-like highly branched polymer molecule (Greek dendra = tree).

(Dendrimer, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)