polystyrene

[ pol-ee-stahy-reen, -steer-een ]

nounChemistry.
  1. a clear plastic or stiff foam, a polymer of styrene, used chiefly as an insulator in refrigerators and air conditioners.

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Origin of polystyrene

1
First recorded in 1925–30; poly- + styrene

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British Dictionary definitions for polystyrene

polystyrene

/ (ˌpɒlɪˈstaɪriːn) /


noun
  1. a synthetic thermoplastic material obtained by polymerizing styrene; used as a white rigid foam (expanded polystyrene) for insulating and packing and as a glasslike material in light fittings and water tanks

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

Scientific definitions for polystyrene

polystyrene

[ pŏl′ē-stīrēn ]


  1. A brittle synthetic polymer composed of repeated styrene units. Polystyrene is transparent and rigid because the benzene rings in each styrene unit prevent the polystyrene chains from arranging themselves into a tight crystalline structure. Polystyrene has a wide variety of uses, especially as a solid foam for insulation and packaging.

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