poly1
- Informal. polyester(def 2): a blend of poly and cotton.
- a fabric or garment made of polyester.
- made of or containing polyester: a poly swimsuit.
Origin of poly1
poly2
- noting or relating to polyamory; polyamorous: They’re in a poly relationship.
- identifying as polyamorous: They’re not monogamous, they’re poly.
Origin of poly2
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-
poly.
Examples from the Web for poly
Contemporary Examples
Someone has to be out about it so people can see that, yes, you can be poly and healthy and happy and in love.
Poly, the model, said it was cold, but she truly loved the idea of being naked in nature.
His 10-year- old daughter is a student at $32,000-a-year Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn.
They amply fulfill my definition of politics: poly means more than one, and ticks are blood-sucking parasites.
On the other hand, plastic or poly boards can be hard on knife edges.
Historical Examples
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 MazeMay Sinclair
And yearly the regiment of girls who could "do things" at the Poly.
The Combined MazeMay Sinclair
All he wanted, Booty had then declared, was a turn or two at the Poly.
The Combined MazeMay Sinclair
For some shy or unfathomable reason of his own he refused to become a Poly.
The Combined MazeMay Sinclair
poly
- informal short for polytechnic
poly-
- more than one; many or muchpolyhedron
- having an excessive or abnormal number or amountpolycythaemia
Word Origin
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-
- More than one; many; much:polyatomic.
- More than usual; excessive; abnormal:polydipsia.
- Polymer; polymeric:polyethylene.
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).