melamine
Americannoun
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a white, crystalline, slightly water-soluble solid, C 3 N 3 (NH2 ) 3 , used chiefly in organic synthesis and in the manufacture of resins, especially melamine resins.
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any of the melamine resins.
noun
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a colourless crystalline compound used in making synthetic resins; 2,4,6-triamino-1,3,5-triazine. Formula: C 3 H 6 N 6
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melamine resin or a material made from this resin
Etymology
Origin of melamine
1825–35; < German Melamin, derivative of Melam distillate of ammonium thiocyanate (arbitrary coinage, but -am representing ammonium ); -ine 2
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.
They don’t say that you will mourn this garish and ugly melamine plate—which you rashly gave away during a clear-out—as if it were a dead pet.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026
Baby formula and pet food manufacturers have had to recall products containing melamine that caused kidney failure.
From Salon • Aug. 2, 2023
Fortessa makes melamine serving dishes in that fun, speckly, camp enamel pattern, only – hey! – it’s melamine, so perfect for outdoor dining.
From Washington Times • Jun. 19, 2023
These polymers are used to produce materials such as bakelite, melamine and the epoxy resins used in wind-turbine blades.
From Scientific American • Dec. 13, 2022
Ashima regrets that the plate on which the rice is heaped is melamine, not silver or brass or at the very least stainless-steel.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
