Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
3,910,435,219 visitors served.
forum Join the Word of the Day Mailing List For webmasters
?
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

plastic

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
plas·tic  (plstk)
adj.
1. Capable of being shaped or formed: plastic material such as clay. See Synonyms at malleable.
2. Relating to or dealing with shaping or modeling: the plastic art of sculpture.
3. Having the qualities of sculpture; well-formed: "the astonishing plastic beauty of the chorus girls" (Frank Harris).
4. Giving form or shape to a substance: the plastic forces that create and wear down a mountain range.
5. Easily influenced; impressionable.
6. Made of a plastic or plastics: a plastic garden hose.
7. Physics Capable of undergoing continuous deformation without rupture or relaxation.
8. Biology Capable of building tissue; formative.
9. Marked by artificiality or superficiality; synthetic: a plastic world of fad, hype, and sensation.
10. Informal Of or obtained by means of credit cards: plastic money.
n.
1. Any of various organic compounds produced by polymerization, capable of being molded, extruded, cast into various shapes and films, or drawn into filaments used as textile fibers.
2. Objects made of plastic.
3. Informal A credit card or credit cards: would accept cash or plastic in payment.

[Latin plasticus, from Greek plastikos, from plastos, molded, from plassein, to mold; see pel-2 in Indo-European roots.]

plasti·cal·ly adv.
plas·tici·ty (pls-ts-t) n.

plastic [ˈplæstɪk ˈplɑːs-]
n
1. (Chemistry) any one of a large number of synthetic usually organic materials that have a polymeric structure and can be moulded when soft and then set, esp such a material in a finished state containing plasticizer, stabilizer, filler, pigments, etc. Plastics are classified as thermosetting (such as Bakelite) or thermoplastic (such as PVC) and are used in the manufacture of many articles and in coatings, artificial fibres, etc. Compare resin [2]
2. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Banking & Finance) short for plastic money
adj
1. made of plastic
2. easily influenced; impressionable the plastic minds of children
3. capable of being moulded or formed
4. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) Fine arts
a.  of or relating to moulding or modelling the plastic arts
b.  produced or apparently produced by moulding the plastic draperies of Giotto's figures
5. having the power to form or influence the plastic forces of the imagination
6. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) Biology of or relating to any formative process; able to change, develop, or grow plastic tissues
7. (Medicine / Surgery) of or relating to plastic surgery
8. Slang superficially attractive yet unoriginal or artificial plastic food
[from Latin plasticus relating to moulding, from Greek plastikos, from plassein to form]
plastically  adv

plastic  (plstk)
Noun
Any of numerous substances that can be shaped and molded when subjected to heat or pressure. Plastics are easily shaped because they consist of long-chain molecules known as polymers, which do not break apart when flexed. Plastics are usually artificial resins but can also be natural substances, as in certain cellular derivatives and shellac. Plastics can be pressed into thin layers, formed into objects, or drawn into fibers for use in textiles. Most do not conduct electricity well, are low in density, and are often very tough. Polyvinyl chloride, methyl methacrylate, and polystyrene are plastics. See more at thermoplasticthermosetting
Adjective
Capable of being molded or formed into a shape.

plastic


Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Feedback
Add definition
Mentioned in?  References in classic literature?   Dictionary browser?   Full browser?
 
Particularly sculpturesque and plastic, so to say, and richly colored is that passage where you feel Cordelia's approach, where woman, das ewig Weibliche, enters into conflict with fate.
It clung to me for some time, monstrous, half conviction and half hope as to its body, with an iridescent tail of dreams and with a changeable head like a plastic mask.
I had an imagination and a curiosity about all things that made me plastic.
 
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Terms of Use | Privacy policy | Feedback | Advertise with Us | Copyright © 2012 Farlex, Inc.
Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.