polyethylene

Definition

A polymer consisting of many ethylene monomers bonded together; used for kitchenware, containers etc.

Etymology

From poly- + ethylene.

Example Sentences

• "For eons, the debris has contained the same things — flecks from plant and animal carcasses, feces, mucus, dust, microbes, viruses — and transported the ocean’s carbon to be stored on the seafloor. Increasingly, however, marine snowfall is being infiltrated by microplastics: fibers and fragments of polyamide, polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate. And this fauxfall appears to be altering our planet’s ancient cooling process."
• "The most abundant chemical in the plastics is polyethylene, which is used for single-use packaging, plastic bags and containers such as bottles."