Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
polypropylene

polypropylene

2 6.8
A strong, light plastic used to make ropes, containers, and packaging
  • noun
  • /ˌpɑːliˈprɒpəˌliːn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : polipropileno
  • The packaging for the product was made of durable polypropylene, ensuring it remained intact during shipping.
  • polypropylene suture
  • polypropylene mesh
  • polypropylene material

If you spray like a a polypropylene sheet with water, it'll just fall off right?

Examples

  • The man and woman stood amid a rubble of sticks, flapping plastic, and frayed polypropylene rope.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Some new products are manufactured with polypropylene resins, a material inherently resistant to environmental stress cracking.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The pump heads are made of polypropylene and have been designed for chemical-transfer applications.

    Academic text (1996)

  • In Group I, MIRACs will be used for beams including polypropylene fibers.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Screens are fixed-weave polypropylene with sack mesh of 1/8", 1/4", and 1/2".

    Academic text (1997)

  • Conventional sink/float methods are used to separate lighter materials such as foam, polypropylene, and polyethylene.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Several meters of fine synthetic mesh made from polypropylene are stretched between two posts on the mountainside.

    Academic text (2007)

  • All winter she'd been cold, dressing deep in polypropylene, layered in woolen sweaters bought in the bazaar.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • A geosynthetic fabric made of spun polypropylene has been designed in Austria as a cover for compost windrows.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Constructed from high-strength glass-filled polypropylene, this centrifugal pump is lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and portable.

    Academic text (1997)

Synonyms

polypropene
vspolypropylene
  • Specialized
8.1

A strong, light plastic made from propylene used to make containers and car parts

focuses more on toughness and flexibility and on specific uses like ropes and packaging

How Durable

polycarbonate
  • Specialized
5.1
polypropylene
  • Specialized
2 6.8
polyethylene
  • Specialized
5 6.1
paper
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

polypropylene singular
polypropylenes plural

Morphology

polypropylene = propylene (semi-transparent) = poly + propylene

The word is regularly formed from poly- plus propylene, but the polymer meaning is specialized chemical vocabulary rather than something an average learner could easily infer.

Etymology

Polypropylene comes from poly-, as in polygon, meaning 'many', and propylene, the small chemical part used to make the plastic. So polypropylene literally means 'many propylene' units joined together, which explains why it is a strong, lightweight material used for ropes, containers and packaging.