celluloid

[sel-yuh-loid]

noun

1. a tough, highly flammable substance consisting essentially of nitrocellulose and camphor: once used in the manufacture of motion-picture and x-ray film, it is now used in a limited line of other products, including guitar picks, musical instruments, and table tennis balls.

2. motion-picture film.

   He was an intense director and a scrupulous editor, famous for leaving piles of celluloid on the cutting-room floor.

adjective

1. Informal.,  of or involving motion pictures.

   a star of the stage who was never lured into the celluloid industry.

celluloid

/ ˈsɛljʊˌlɔɪd /

noun

1. a flammable thermoplastic material consisting of cellulose nitrate mixed with a plasticizer, usually camphor: used in sheets, rods, and tubes for making a wide range of articles

2. 1. a cellulose derivative used for coating film

   2. one of the transparent sheets on which the constituent drawings of an animated film are prepared

   3. a transparent sheet used as an overlay in artwork

   4. cinema film

Word History and Origins

Origin of celluloid¹

First recorded in 1870–75; cellul(ose) + -oid; formerly a trademark

Example Sentences

Recent topics in her Antiques and Collectibles series have included lectures on celluloid, vintage weddings and Art Deco.

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Roberts isn’t just chewing the scenery; she’s devouring the celluloid and licking her chops, hungry for more.

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Cage didn’t last long, falling asleep on the job and dropping a lighted cigarette on flammable celluloid.

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Controversy: The movie was considered a thinly veiled swipe at real-life newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who did not take kindly to the celluloid portrait.

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Themes of entrapment, unrequited love and loss penetrate the screen, with Lachman conveying the narrative through a bespoke aesthetic captured on different celluloid formats.

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Related Words

• cinema 
• feature 
• film 
• flick 
• motion picture 
• picture 
• show 
• videotape