plastic

English Online Dictionary. What means plastic‎? What does plastic mean?

English

Alternative forms

• plastick (archaic)

Etymology

From Latin plasticus (“of molding”), from Ancient Greek πλαστικός (plastikós), from πλάσσω (plássō, “to mold, form”). Doublet of plastique.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈplæstɪk/, [ˈpʰlastɪk]
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈplæstɪk/, [ˈpʰlæstɪk]
• Rhymes: -æstɪk
• Hyphenation: plas‧tic

Noun

plastic (countable and uncountable, plural plastics)

1. A synthetic, solid, hydrocarbon-based polymer, whether thermoplastic or thermosetting.
2. (colloquial, metonymic) Credit or debit cards used in place of cash to buy goods and services.
3. (figurative, slang) insincerity; fakeness, or a person who is fake or arrogant, or believes that they are better than the rest of the population.
4. (slang, countable) An instance of plastic surgery.
5. (obsolete) A sculptor, moulder.
6. (archaic) Any solid but malleable substance.

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Japanese: プラスチック (purasuchikku)
• → Korean: 플라스틱 (peullaseutik)
• → Swahili: plastiki

Translations

Adjective

plastic (comparative more plastic, superlative most plastic)

1. Capable of being moulded; malleable, flexible, pliant. [from 17th c.]

   Synonyms: malleable, flexible, pliant; see also Thesaurus:moldable

   Antonym: elastic

   • , Folio Society 1973, page 103:
2. (medicine, now rare) Producing tissue. [from 17th c.]
3. (dated) Creative, formative. [from 17th c.]
4. (biology) Capable of adapting to varying conditions; characterized by environmental adaptability. [from 19th c.]
5. Of or pertaining to the inelastic, non-brittle, deformation of a material. [from 19th c.]
6. Made of plastic. [from 20th c.]
7. (figurative, derogatory) Inferior or not the real thing. [from 20th c.]

   Synonym: ersatz
8. (figurative, informal, of a person) Fake, insincere, especially in a shallow and conformist way pretending to smoothness and glossy flawlessness.

   Synonyms: fake, insincere

   Antonyms: genuine, sincere
9. (informal, birdwatching, of an individual bird) Escaped from captivity, rather than wild.
10. (informal, birdwatching, of a species or individual bird) Introduced, rather than native or naturally vagrant.

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• placits

Danish

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πλαστικός (plastikós), via English plastic.

Noun

plastic

1. (sometimes proscribed) plastic

Usage notes

Discouraged in engineering circles in favour of plast.

Declension

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English plastic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈplɛs.tɪk/
• Hyphenation: plas‧tic

Noun

plastic n (uncountable)

1. (Netherlands, uncountable) plastic (synthetic polymer substance)

   Synonym: plastiek

Descendants

• → Caribbean Javanese: plastig, plèstig

Noun

plastic m (plural plastics)

1. (Netherlands, countable, chemistry) plastic (specific type of synthetic polymer)

   Synonym: plastiek

Adjective

plastic (not comparable)

1. (Netherlands) plastic

   Synonym: plastieken

Declension

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English plastic. Doublet of plastique.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /plas.tik/

Noun

plastic m (plural plastics)

1. plastic explosive

Derived terms

• plasticage
• plastiquer

Further reading

• “plastic”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French plastique.

Adjective

plastic m or n (feminine singular plastică, masculine plural plastici, feminine and neuter plural plastice)

1. plastic

Declension

Related terms

• plasticitate