poly-

(word root) many

Examples of words with the root poly-: polyandrous, polyculture, polyethylene

poly-

pref.

1. More than one; many; much: polyatomic.

2. More than usual; excessive; abnormal: polydipsia.

3. Polymer; polymeric: polyethylene.

[Greek polu-, from polus, much, many; see pelə- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

poly-

combining form

1. more than one; many or much: polyhedron.

2. having an excessive or abnormal number or amount: polycythaemia.

[from Greek polus much, many; related to Old English fela many]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pol•y

(ˈpɒl i)

n., pl. pol•ies.

1. polyester (def. 2).

2. a garment made of polyester.

[by shortening]

poly-

a combining form with the meanings “much, many” and, in the names of chemical compounds, “polymeric”: polyandry; polyethylene.

[< Greek, comb. form representing polýs; akin to Old English fela many. See plus]

poly.

polytechnic.

poly-

A prefix meaning "many," as in polygon, a figure having many sides.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

poly-

prefix meaning many. Used in the naming of chemical compounds.