celluloid

American  

[sel-yuh-loid] / ˈsɛl yəˌlɔɪd /

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.

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adjective

1. Informal. of or involving motion pictures.

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

celluloid British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of celluloid

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

Explanation

Celluloid is a type of plastic that’s transparent and flammable. Until recently, most movies were filmed on celluloid. Celluloid is a name for film used in shooting movies. Because of its use in making films, this term came to stand for movies in general. Its days in the projection room are now pretty much finished — due to the rise of digital filming — but the figurative meaning lives on, wherever stars aspire. For example, you could say a TV actor was making the move from the small screen to celluloid. Besides movies, celluloid is used in shooting x-rays.

Example Sentences

While Bombay brought cinema to India, cinema lived on its streets and not just on celluloid.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The dialogue-heavy chamber piece -- basically a theatrical play on celluloid -- is the fruit of Hawke's decades-long collaboration with director Richard Linklater, which began more than 30 years ago with 1995's "Before Sunrise."

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

By 2013, more movies were being shot digitally than on celluloid.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

Cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed exactingly photographed the soul-stirring scene, channeling legends Sven Nykvist and Gordon Willis to craft a 1980s-inspired aesthetic of celluloid grain and realistic lighting, shaped by a lone 35mm lens.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025

On the end of each string was a good-size celluloid ring—one was blue and the other was yellow.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

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