'Polymer' is Greek for 'many parts' — completing the series: monomer, dimer, oligomer, polymer.
Definition
A substance which has a molecular structure built up chiefly from a large number of similar unitsbonded together.
The Full Story
Greek1866well-attested
A scientific compound formed in the 19th century from two Greek elements: 'polys' (many, much) and 'meros' (part, share, portion). 'Polys' descends from PIE *pleh1- (to fill, to be full), which also gave Latin 'plenus' (full), English 'full' and 'plenty,' and Sanskrit 'purna' (full). 'Meros' derives from PIE *mer- (to divide, to apportion), related to Greek 'merizein' (to divide) and 'moira' (share, fate — literally what is apportioned to one
Did you know?
'Polymer' (many parts), 'monomer' (one part), 'dimer' (two parts), 'oligomer' (few parts), and 'isomer' (equal parts) form a complete numerical family. And Greek 'polys' (many) also gave us 'polyglot' (many languages), 'polygon' (many angles), 'polytheism' (many gods), and 'polychrome' (many colors). DNA, nylon, rubber, and plastic are all polymers — 'many-part' molecules
. The naming convention extends systematically: 'oligomer' (few parts), 'copolymer' (two types of units), 'biopolymer' (biological many-parts). The '-meros' element also appears in 'isomer' (same-parts, different arrangement) and 'dimer' (two-parts), making it one of the most productive morphemes in scientific nomenclature. Key roots: polys (Greek: "many, much"), meros (Greek: "part, portion, share").