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Bakelite

Bakelite

2 9.2
A hard brown plastic used long ago for things like radios and telephones
  • noun
  • /ˈbeɪkəˌlaɪt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : baquelita
  • Many collectors seek out Bakelite jewelry from the 1920s and 1930s.
  • use of Bakelite

Meet with me and we could find some Bakelite tea mugs.

Examples

  • The kitchen was filled with Bakelite utensils, showcasing the era's design style.

  • The Russians used Bakelite for magazines in rifles and as a structural material in combat airplanes.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Meet with me and we could find some Bakelite tea mugs.

  • Although he discovered the formula by accident, Leo Baekeland knew he was onto something with Bakelite, "the material of a thousand uses."

    Academic text (2007)
  • Bakelite, early on, was used for telephones.

    Academic text (2007)
  • One of my favorite pieces at the show, this desk is made of brushed steel and wooden Bakelite tops.

    Blog text (6)
  • Those of more humble means could have radios mounted in Bakelite with a rich variety of contours and colors.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Bakelite was molded into many shapes for jewelry and various trinkets that cost pennies during the Great Depression.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Her phone was one of those black, old-time, heavy jobs with a Bakelite dial, the base made out of ceramic or something—granite maybe, or lead.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The vintage phone had a shiny Bakelite body and a classic rotary dial.

How Hard

ceramic
38 3.7
Bakelite
  • Archaic
2 9.2
melamine resin
  • Specialized
7.9
to laminate
11 4.3
plastic
798 1.0

Surface Forms

Bakelite singular
Bakelites plural

Etymology

The word Bakelite is named after the inventor Baekeland, so you can think of it as 'Baekeland's material'. The ending -ite is often used for minerals and materials, as in graphite, which helps you remember that Bakelite is a hard, early plastic used for things like telephones and kitchenware.