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copolymer

American  
[koh-pol-uh-mer] / koʊˈpɒl ə mər /

noun

  1. a chemical compound of high molecular weight produced by polymerizing two or more different monomers together.


copolymer British  
/ kəʊˈpɒlɪmə /

noun

  1. a chemical compound of high molecular weight formed by uniting the molecules of two or more different compounds (monomers) Compare polymer oligomer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

copolymer Scientific  
/ kō-pŏlə-mər /
  1. A polymer of two or more different monomers. The synthetic rubber used to make tire treads and shoe soles, for example, is a copolymer made of the monomers butadiene and styrene.


Etymology

Origin of copolymer

First recorded in 1935–40; co- + polymer

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Because the copolymer has two units -- one that is electroactive and one which is the original thermo-responsive unit -- there are now two pathways available to control solvation.

From Science Daily Dec. 13, 2023

At launch, each motor had about 1.1 million pounds of polybutadiene acrylonitrile copolymer propellant, which has the consistency of a pencil eraser.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 11, 2023

Even the name of the company that applied for approval is redacted, and the records give only a generic name for the chemicals: fluorinated acrylic alkylamino copolymer.

From New York Times Jul. 12, 2021

Short copolymer chains refract shorter wavelengths of light: ultraviolet, blues and greens.

From Scientific American Nov. 13, 2020

Top right, the chromatogram of the sample isolated using the SMA copolymer, showing traces for protein at 280 nm, haem c at 410 nm and haem a at 605 nm.

From Nature Apr. 24, 2018

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