Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of a family of high-strength, resilient synthetic polymers, the molecules of which contain the recurring amide group CONH.
  • noun Cloth or yarn made from one of these synthetic materials.
  • noun Stockings made of one of these synthetic materials.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Any of several thermoplastic polyamide plastics, comprising a family of high-strength resilient synthetic materials, used mostly in fibers.
  • noun A synthetic fabric consisting of fibers of nylon[wn1].
  • noun Stockings made of a thin form of nylon{2}, especially full-length stockings either sheer of of varying shades.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Originally, the DuPont company trade name for polyamide, a copolymer whose molecules consist of alternating diamine and dicarboxylic acid monomers bonded together; now generically used for this type of polymer.
  • noun plurale tantum A stocking originally fabricated from nylon; also used generically for any long, sheer stocking worn on a woman's legs.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a thermoplastic polyamide; a family of strong resilient synthetic fibers
  • noun a synthetic fabric

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Coined by its inventors, E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Co., Inc., on the model of cotton, rayon, etc.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Arbitrary letters + -on (by analogy with cotton); the frequently heard claim that the word derives from abbreviations of New York ("NY") and London ("Lon") is a myth.

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Examples

  • Today, the nylon is an integral part of all types of clothing on the street jackets to the ubiquitous, always very low.

    Minimates Star | SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles 2009

  • The Serbo-Croatians, for instance, picked up the English word nylon, but took it to mean a kind of shabby and disreputable variation, so that a nylon hotel is a ` brothel 'while a nylon beach is where nudists frolic.

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XVII No 4 1991

  • Another synthetic fabric, nylon is a resilient fabric that has a silky texture to it.

    Decorating White Spaces by Adding a Delicate Touch of Color 2009

  • The references to ocean life continue with lighting overhead that is diffused by a thin nylon net, which appears to be luminescent tentacles, evoking a stray shoal of jellyfishes or sea anemones.

    Olivomare Restaurant by Pierluigi Piu 2008

  • A thin nylon wind shirt worn next to your skin or over an undershirt will act as a vapor barrier and trap body heat more efficiently than a wool union suit or down jacket.

    Winter Survival Quiz by Field & Stream's Keith McCafferty 2005

  • They tended to carry their bombs in nylon backpacks or duffel bags rather than in belts or vests concealed beneath their clothing, as they do now.

    The Logic of Suicide Terrorism 2003

  • They tended to carry their bombs in nylon backpacks or duffel bags rather than in belts or vests concealed beneath their clothing, as they do now.

    The Logic of Suicide Terrorism 2003

  • They tended to carry their bombs in nylon backpacks or duffel bags rather than in belts or vests concealed beneath their clothing, as they do now.

    The Logic of Suicide Terrorism 2003

  • Of course, I don't really know the importance of tights in a ballet dancer's budget -- Plissetskaya says she goes through three pairs in a night -- but perhaps that Soviet nylon is not so good -- or perhaps they are more energetic over there!

    The Soviet Challenge in Asia 1960

  • At the word nylon, she took on a scornful, supercilious expression.

    Maigret has Scruples Simenon, Georges, 1903- 1958

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