acrylic fiber

noun

, Chemistry.

1. any of the group of synthetic textile fibers, as Orlon, made by the polymerization of acrylonitrile as the principal component with one or more other monomers.

acrylic fiber

1. Any of numerous synthetic fibers polymerized from acrylonitrile.

Word History and Origins

Origin of acrylic fiber¹

First recorded in 1950–55