Etymology
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polymerism (n.)

in chemistry, "that property of certain compounds by which they differ in molecular weight and chemical properties though formed from the same elements in the same proportion," 1833, from Greek polymerēs "having many parts" (see polymer) + -ism.

Entries linking to polymerism

polymer (n.)

a substance built from a large number of simple molecules of the same kind, 1855, probably from German Polymere (Berzelius, 1830), from Greek polymeres "having many parts," from polys "many" (from PIE root *pele- (1) "to fill") + meros "part" (from PIE root *(s)mer- (2) "to get a share of something").

-ism 
word-forming element making nouns implying a practice, system, doctrine, etc., from French -isme or directly from Latin -isma, -ismus (source also of Italian, Spanish -ismo, Dutch, German -ismus), from Greek -ismos, noun ending signifying the practice or teaching of a thing, from the stem of verbs in -izein, a verb-forming element denoting the doing of the noun or adjective to which it is attached. For distinction of use, see -ity. The related Greek suffix -isma(t)- affects some forms.

updated on August 19, 2020

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Dictionary entries near polymerism

polyhistor

polymath

polymer

polymerase

polymeric

polymerism

polymerization

polymerize

polymorph

polymorphism

polymorphous

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