poly

Poly– is a combining form with multiple meanings. In many terms, it is used like a prefix meaning “much, many.” In terms from chemistry, it denotes “polymeric,” meaning “of or relating to a polymer.” It is often used in a variety of scientific and technical terms, especially in biology.

Poly– comes from Greek polýs, meaning “many.” The Latin equivalent of polýs is multus, also meaning both “much” and “many,” which is the source of the combining form multi–. To learn more, check out our Words That Use article about multi-.

One example of a scientific term that features the form poly– is polytomy, “the act or process of dividing into more than three parts.”

The form poly– means “many,” as we have already seen. But what about the –tomy part of the word polytomy? The form –tomy means “cutting, incision,” from Greek –tomia. Polytomy literally translates to “many cuts.”

What are some words that use the combining form poly-?

• polyamory
• polyblast
• polydactyl (using the equivalent form of poly– in Greek)
• polyester
• polygon (using the equivalent form of poly– in Greek)
• polylingual
• polymath (using the equivalent form of poly– in Greek)
• polysemy (using the equivalent form of poly– in Greek)

What are some other forms that poly– may be commonly confused with?

• pleio-
• plio-
• pollini-

Lingual means “pertaining to languages.” With this in mind, what does polylingual mean?