monomer

[ mon-uh-mer ]

/ ˈmɒn ə mər /

Save This Word!

noun Chemistry.

a molecule of low molecular weight capable of reacting with identical or different molecules of low molecular weight to form a polymer.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of monomer

First recorded in 1910–15; mono- + -mer

OTHER WORDS FROM monomer

mon·o·mer·ic

[mon-uh-mer-ik], /ˌmɒn əˈmɛr ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby monomer

monologue, monology, monomania, monomark, monomelic, monomer, monomeric, monomerous, monometallic, monometallism, monometer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use monomer in a sentence

Her lab is figuring out how to induce microbes to convert sugar from plants into monomers that can then be chemically converted into polymers to create plastic.
Building a better chemical factory—out of microbes|Leigh Buchanan|August 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
Piecing pure monomers back together creates plastic that’s good as new.
New recycling technologies could keep more plastic out of landfills|Maria Temming|April 29, 2021|Science News For Students
Those monomers can then be separated from dyes and other contaminants.
New recycling technologies could keep more plastic out of landfills|Maria Temming|April 29, 2021|Science News For Students
Simply dunking the plastic in an acid solution with a pH of 1 or 2 is enough to break the bonds between its monomer building blocks.
Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills|Maria Temming|January 27, 2021|Science News

The molecules that make up plastics are called polymers, which are made of smaller monomers.
Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills|Maria Temming|January 27, 2021|Science News

British Dictionary definitions for monomer

monomer

/ (ˈmɒnəmə) /

noun

chem a compound whose molecules can join together to form a polymer

Derived forms of monomer

monomeric (ˌmɒnəˈmɛrɪk), adjective

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

Medical definitions for monomer

monomer

[ mŏn′ə-mər ]

The molecular unit that joins with similar units to form a polymer.

The protein structural unit of a virion capsid.

The subunit of a protein composed of several such units loosely associated with one another.

Scientific definitions for monomer

monomer

[ mŏn′ə-mər ]

A molecule that can combine with others of the same kind to form a polymer. Glucose molecules, for example, are monomers that can combine to form the polymer cellulose. Polymers can also be composed of different kinds of monomers.