poly

¹

[pol-ee]

noun

plural

polies 

1. Informal.,  polyester.

   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

1. polytechnic.

poly

¹

/ ˈpɒlɪ /

noun

1. informal,  short for polytechnic

adjective

1. informal,  short for polyester

2. informal,  short for polythene

poly-

²

combining form

1. more than one; many or much

   polyhedron

2. having an excessive or abnormal number or amount

   polycythaemia

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).

Word History and Origins

Origin of poly–¹

By shortening

Origin of poly–²

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

Origin of poly–³

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of poly–¹

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

Example Sentences

Cannon said he has seen his department whittled to a “skeleton crew” since he joined Cal Poly Humboldt in 2006.

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Loren Cannon, a philosophy lecturer at Cal Poly Humboldt and California Faculty Assn. bargaining team member, called the board’s decision a “distributive injustice” — especially at a time when many employees are struggling to make ends meet.

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Utupo came from Lakewood this season to be head coach for a Long Beach Poly program that has won 20 CIF titles.

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Seven Poly athletes are listed in the Southern Section transfer portal as having been denied eligibility for two years for violating bylaw 202.

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In a media release, the district stated that Poly’s walk-on head coach has been released and won’t be allowed to coach in the district.

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When To Use

What does poly- mean?

Poly- is a combining form with multiple meanings. In many terms, it is used like a prefix meaning “much, many.” In terms from chemistry, it denotes "polymeric," meaning "of or relating to a polymer." It is often used in a variety of scientific and technical terms, especially in biology.Poly- comes from Greek polýs, meaning “many.” The Latin equivalent of polýs is multus, also meaning both “much” and “many,” which is the source of the combining form multi-. To learn more, check out our Words That Use article about multi-.