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poly

1

[ pol-ee ]

noun

, plural pol·ies.
  1. a blend of poly and cotton.

  2. a fabric or garment made of polyester.


adjective

  1. made of or containing polyester:

    a poly swimsuit.

poly

2

[ pol-ee ]

adjective

, Informal.
  1. noting or relating to polyamory; polyamorous:

    They’re in a poly relationship.

  2. identifying as polyamorous:

    They’re not monogamous, they’re poly.

poly-

3
  1. a combining form with the meanings “much, many” and, in chemistry, “polymeric,” used in the formation of compound words:

    polyandrous; polyculture; polyethylene.

poly.

4

abbreviation for

  1. polytechnic.

poly

1

/ ˈpɒlɪ /

noun

  1. informal.
    short for polytechnic
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. informal.
    short for polyester
  2. informal.
    short for polythene
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

poly-

2

combining_form

  1. more than one; many or much

    polyhedron

  2. having an excessive or abnormal number or amount

    polycythaemia

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

poly–

  1. A prefix meaning “many,” as in polygon, a figure having many sides. In chemistry, it is used to form the names of polymers by being attached to the name of the base unit of which the polymer is made, as in polysaccharide, a polymer made of repeating simple sugars (monosaccharides).
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Word History and Origins

Origin of poly1

By shortening

Origin of poly2

First recorded in 1990–95; shortening of polyamorous ( def )

Origin of poly3

< Greek, combining form representing polýs; akin to Old English fela many. See plus
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Word History and Origins

Origin of poly1

from Greek polus much, many; related to Old English fela many
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Example Sentences

Only a handful of colleges in Central and Northern California, including UC Merced and Cal Poly Humboldt, were included.

Before Dr. John Dahlem, the Southern Section’s unofficial historian, passed last week at the age of 81, he sent me several pages of my past life at Sun Valley Poly, Cal State Northridge and elsewhere.

Mountain lions in greater Los Angeles are proactively shifting their activity to avoid interacting with cyclists, hikers, joggers and other recreationists, finds a study from the University of California, Davis, Cal Poly Pomona and the National Park Service.

JuJu Watkins scores 16 points and freshman Kaleigh Heckel finishes with 16 points off the bench to lead No. 3 USC to a 90-35 victory over Cal Poly.

Washington Prep stunned top-seeded Poly 33-26 last week.

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