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polyethylene

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Etymology and origin of the English word polyethylene

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1862 W. A. Miller, Elements of Chemistry More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origin
English poly-,ethylene

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˌpɒliˈeθɪliːn/, /ˌpɒliˈeθəliːn/[1]
  • US: /ˌpɑːliˈeθəliːn/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English poly- + ethylene;[2][3][4] Webster's New World takes the first part as polymer.[5] Etymonline derives it from French polyéthylène;[6] the OED, which treats it as an English formation, compares the French word, used by M. Berthelot in 1867, and the slightly earlier English adjective polyethylenic.[2] Ethylene is formed from ethyl and the suffix -ene, probably on the model of methylene.[6][2] The name of the compound polyethylene glycol follows German Polyaethylenglycol (1885).[2] The British polythene (1939) is a shortening of polyethylene.[2][7][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

In chemistry, a polymer made from a derivative of ethylene, first in the name of a substance now called polyethylene glycol: 1862, in the second edition of W. A. Miller's Elements of Chemistry.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster Unabridged also date the word to 1862.[6][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 19th century the word named several chemical compounds built from ethylene derivatives, chiefly the polymers of ethylene glycol (from 1886).[2][4] In the 20th century it was used for other plastics of the same family, in 1930 for related plastics made with ethylene oxide,[2] and in 1939 for the tough, light thermoplastic made by polymerizing ethylene itself, which became its main sense.[2][4] In that sense the word is chiefly North American,[2][4] and British English usually says polythene.[7][8] Dictionary.com dates this modern use to 1935–40.[8]

Timeline

  • 1862 – a polymer of an ethylene derivative, at first in the name of polyethylene glycol (obsolete in this use by 1884).[2][6][3]
  • 1886 – any polymer of ethylene glycol.[2]
  • 1930 – a polymer of the same family made from ethylene oxide.[2]
  • 1939 – the thermoplastic made from ethylene, polythene.[2]
  • 1946 – the polymer of ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid used for polyester fibres and drinks bottles.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A light, tough thermoplastic made by polymerizing ethylene, resistant to chemicals and moisture and a good insulator, used for packaging film, bags, containers and pipes; in British English usually polythene: The sandwiches were wrapped in polyethylene.[3][7][2][4]
  2. (chemistry) Any polymer of ethylene or of one of its derivatives.[3][2][4]

Word family

  • high-density polyethylene
  • low-density polyethylene
  • polyethylene glycol

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Webster's New World College Dictionary (2014), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
Cite this entry

“Polyethylene.” Etymologically, 8 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/polyethylene. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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