plastic

¹

[ plas-tik ]

noun

1. Often any of a group of synthetic or natural organic materials that may be shaped when soft and then hardened, including many types of resins, resinoids, polymers, cellulose derivatives, casein materials, and proteins: used in place of other materials, as glass, wood, and metals, in construction and decoration, for making many articles, as coatings, and, drawn into filaments, for weaving. They are often known by trademark names, as Bakelite, Vinylite, or Lucite.
2. a credit card, or credit cards collectively, usually made of plastic:

   He had a whole pocketful of plastic.

3. money, payment, or credit represented by the use of a credit card or cards.
4. something, or a group of things, made of or resembling plastic:

   The entire meal was served on plastic.

adjective

1. made of plastic.
2. capable of being molded or of receiving form:

   clay and other plastic substances.

3. produced by molding:

   plastic figures.

4. having the power of molding or shaping formless or yielding material:

   the plastic forces of nature.

5. being able to create, especially within an art form; having the power to give form or formal expression:

   the plastic imagination of great poets and composers.

6. Fine Arts.
   1. concerned with or pertaining to molding or modeling; sculptural.
   2. relating to three-dimensional form or space, especially on a two-dimensional surface.
   3. pertaining to the tools or techniques of drawing, painting, or sculpture:

      the plastic means.

   4. characterized by an emphasis on formal structure:

      plastic requirements of a picture.

7. pliable; impressionable:

   the plastic mind of youth.

   Synonyms: amenable, flexible, pliant

8. giving the impression of being made of or furnished with plastic:

   We stayed at one of those plastic motels.

9. artificial or insincere; synthetic; phony:

   jeans made of cotton, not some plastic substitute; a plastic smile.

10. lacking in depth, individuality, or permanence; superficial, dehumanized, or mass-produced:

    a plastic society interested only in material acquisition.

11. of or relating to the use of credit cards:

    plastic credit; plastic money.

12. Biology, Pathology. formative.
13. Surgery. concerned with or pertaining to the remedying or restoring of malformed, injured, or lost parts:

    a plastic operation.

-plastic

²

1. a combining form occurring in chloroplastic; protoplastic.

-plastic

¹

combining form

1. growing or forming

   neoplastic

plastic

²

/ ˈplɑːs-; ˈplæstɪk /

noun

1. any one of a large number of synthetic usually organic materials that have a polymeric structure and can be moulded when soft and then set, esp such a material in a finished state containing plasticizer, stabilizer, filler, pigments, etc. Plastics are classified as thermosetting (such as Bakelite) or thermoplastic (such as PVC) and are used in the manufacture of many articles and in coatings, artificial fibres, etc Compare resin
2. short for plastic money

adjective

1. made of plastic
2. easily influenced; impressionable

   the plastic minds of children

3. capable of being moulded or formed
4. fine arts
   1. of or relating to moulding or modelling

      the plastic arts

   2. produced or apparently produced by moulding

      the plastic draperies of Giotto's figures

5. having the power to form or influence

   the plastic forces of the imagination

6. biology of or relating to any formative process; able to change, develop, or grow

   plastic tissues

7. of or relating to plastic surgery
8. slang.
   superficially attractive yet unoriginal or artificial

   plastic food

plastic

/ plăs′tĭk /

Noun

1. Any of numerous substances that can be shaped and molded when subjected to heat or pressure. Plastics are easily shaped because they consist of long-chain molecules known as polymers, which do not break apart when flexed. Plastics are usually artificial resins but can also be natural substances, as in certain cellular derivatives and shellac. Plastics can be pressed into thin layers, formed into objects, or drawn into fibers for use in textiles. Most do not conduct electricity well, are low in density, and are often very tough. Polyvinyl chloride, methyl methacrylate, and polystyrene are plastics.
2. See more at thermoplastic

Adjective

1. Capable of being molded or formed into a shape.

Derived Forms

• ˈplastically, adverb

Other Words From

• plasti·cal·ly plastic·ly adverb
• non·plastic adjective noun
• un·plastic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plastic¹

1625–35; 1900–10 plastic fordef 1; < Latin plasticus that may be molded < Greek plastikós. See -plast, -ic

Origin of plastic²

plastic

Word History and Origins

Origin of plastic¹

from Greek plastikos; see plastic

Origin of plastic²

C17: from Latin plasticus relating to moulding, from Greek plastikos, from plassein to form

Example Sentences

People often imagine giving up plastic straws or switching to recycled paper towels in order to help the environment.

From Salon

A Tropicana spokesperson told CNN that "the company changed the bottle to address feedback from customers, including making it easier to pour and store while reducing plastic in the cap."

From Salon

This is because nearly 25% of the components in a tire are made of synthetic rubber, which is a plastic.

From Science Daily

The rest of the tire, meanwhile, can be recycled using classic plastic recycling methods -- a plus, given there currently are no alternatives for tires in general.

From Science Daily

But Golden State Project and the handful of lauded singles we did get from the trio, such as “3 Card Molly” and “Plastic Surgery,” were just one chapter in one of California’s most compelling rap careers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• elastic
• molded

Words That Use -plastic

What does -plastic mean?

The combining form -plastic is used like a suffix meaning “of or relating to a living substance, cell, or organelle.” An organelle is “a cell organ.” The form –plastic can also mean “of or relating to growth, cellular multiplication.” The form –plastic is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

The form –plastic comes from Greek plastikós, meaning “that may be molded.” Find out how plastós is related to plasma and plaster at our entry for each word.

What are variants of –plastic?

The form -plastic does not have any variants. However, it is related to the forms –plasm, –plasia, –plasy, –plast, and –plasty. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for these forms.

Examples of -plastic

A scientific term that features the form –plastic is neoplastic, “of or related to a new, often uncontrolled growth of abnormal tissue or tumor.”

The neo– part of the word may seem familiar. It means “new,” from Greek néos. The form –plastic means “of or relating to a living substance.” Neoplastic literally translates to “of or relating to a new living substance.”

What are some words that use the combining form –plastic?

• chloroplastic
• dysplastic
• euplastic (using the equivalent form of -plastic in Greek)
• hyperplastic
• hypoplastic
• protoplastic

What are some other forms that –plastic may be commonly confused with?

• -phobic
• -phonic

Not every word that ends with the exact letters –plastic, such as superplastic or thermoplastic, is necessarily using the combining form –plastic to denote “relating to a living substance.” Learn why thermoplastic means “soft and pliable when heated” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The combining form proto– means “first” or “earliest form of.” With this in mind, what does protoplastic literally mean?