poly

[pol-ee]

noun, plural pol·ies.

Informal. polyester(def 2): a blend of poly and cotton.

a fabric or garment made of polyester.

adjective

made of or containing polyester: a poly swimsuit.

Origin of poly

by shortening

poly

[pol-ee]

adjective Informal.

noting or relating to polyamory; polyamorous: They’re in a poly relationship.

identifying as polyamorous: They’re not monogamous, they’re poly.

Origin of poly

First recorded in 1990–95; shortening of polyamorous

poly-

a combining form with the meanings “much, many” and, in chemistry, “polymeric,” used in the formation of compound words: polyandrous; polyculture; polyethylene.

Origin of poly-

< Greek, combining form representing polýs; akin to Old English fela many. See plus

poly.

polytechnic.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for poly

Contemporary Examples of poly

Someone has to be out about it so people can see that, yes, you can be poly and healthy and happy and in love.
What’s So Bad About an Open Marriage?
Tricia Romano
November 11, 2013
Poly, the model, said it was cold, but she truly loved the idea of being naked in nature.
Nine Amazing Places To Skinny Dip Around The World
Erin Cunningham
September 21, 2013
His 10-year- old daughter is a student at $32,000-a-year Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn.
Buddy Can You Spare Ten Grand?
Noah Kristula-Green
February 29, 2012
They amply fulfill my definition of politics: poly means more than one, and ticks are blood-sucking parasites.
Why Democrats Should Blame Themselves for the Tea Party
Kinky Friedman
April 20, 2010
On the other hand, plastic or poly boards can be hard on knife edges.
The Dirty Truth About Cutting Boards
Chad Ward
September 1, 2009

Historical Examples of poly

I think of a polyanthus, and I say, 'Who will first touch a poly?'
Little Folks (July 1884)
Various
It had been as sound as a bell when he entered for the Poly.
The Combined Maze
May Sinclair
And yearly the regiment of girls who could "do things" at the Poly.
The Combined Maze
May Sinclair
All he wanted, Booty had then declared, was a turn or two at the Poly.
The Combined Maze
May Sinclair
For some shy or unfathomable reason of his own he refused to become a Poly.
The Combined Maze
May Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for poly

poly

noun plural polys

informal short for polytechnic

adjective

informal short for polyester

informal short for polythene

poly-

combining form

more than one; many or muchpolyhedron

having an excessive or abnormal number or amountpolycythaemia

Word Origin for poly-

from Greek polus much, many; related to Old English fela many

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

Word Origin and History for poly

poly-

word-forming element meaning "many, much, multi-, one or more," from Greek poly-, combining form of polys "much" (plural polloi); cognate with Latin plus, from PIE root *pele- (1) "to fill," with derivatives referring to multitudinousness or abundance (cf. Sanskrit purvi "much," prayah "mostly;" Avestan perena-, Old Persian paru "much;" Greek plethos "people, multitude, great number," polys "much, plenty," ploutos "wealth;" Lithuanian pilus "full, abundant;" Old Church Slavonic plunu; Gothic filu "much," Old Norse fjöl-, Old English fela, feola "much, many;" Old English folgian; Old Irish lan, Welsh llawn "full;" Old Irish il, Welsh elu "much"); probably related to root *pele- (2) "to spread."

Properly used in compounds only with words of Greek origin. In chemical names, usually indicating a compound with a large number of atoms or molecules of the same kind (cf. polymer).

poly in Medicine

poly-

pref.

More than one; many; much:polyatomic.

More than usual; excessive; abnormal:polydipsia.

Polymer; polymeric:polyethylene.

poly in Science

poly-

A prefix meaning many, as in polygon, a figure having many sides. In chemistry, it is used to form the names of polymers by being attached to the name of the base unit of which the polymer is made, as in polysaccharide, a polymer made of repeating simple sugars (monosaccharides).