Definitions

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

  • noun A rigid clear thermoplastic polymer of styrene that can be molded into objects or made into a foam that is used as thermal insulation.

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

  • noun organic chemistry A vinylic polymer of styrene, CH2CHphenyl.
  • noun organic chemistry An alkane chain of benzene molecules, RCH2CHphenylR.

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

  • noun a polymer of styrene; a rigid transparent thermoplastic

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

poly- +‎ styrene

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Examples

  • Four nearly identical, 1976 preparatory stages of "Knife Edge Mirror Two Piece" are all about a foot tall: two plaster models, one of them marked into numbered sections; a model in polystyrene and a bronze version, with a warm and glowing satiny brown-gold patina.

    The Origins of Henry Moore Judy Fayard 2010

  • This highly durable spawn of the 20th century, also known as polystyrene, is manufactured using benzene, from coal; styrene, from petroleum; and ethylene, a "blowing agent" used in the process since the crackdown on CFCs.

    Simran Sethi: Life Cycle: Styrofoam: Mark of the Plastic Beast 2009

  • They're made of polystyrene, which is quite interesting that they're managing to remain upright of their volition in the cold weather that you can see.

    CNN Transcript Nov 9, 2009 2009

  • My new one scores eco-points for its compact box - the smaller the boxes, the fewer trucks and shipping containers will be needed to transport them, and the less fuel consumed - only to lose points for padding the boxes with molded polystyrene, which is neither biodegradable nor easily recyclable.

    NYT > Home Page 2010

  • And on that subject, I have just two teeny weeny uninvited editorial comments: one, the only American who appears in the book and then only very briefly uses the word "polystyrene" for "styrofoam" and "stone" for the "pit" of a cherry.

    Reading, Writing, Cooking and Crafting: More than it might first appear Kate 2006

  • And on that subject, I have just two teeny weeny uninvited editorial comments: one, the only American who appears in the book and then only very briefly uses the word "polystyrene" for "styrofoam" and "stone" for the "pit" of a cherry.

    Archive 2006-08-01 Kate 2006

  • They found that the antigens, when presented on the surface of the nanotubes, stimulated T cell response far more effectively than coating other substrates such as polystyrene in the antigens, even though the total amount of antigens used remained the same.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • They found that the antigens, when presented on the surface of the nanotubes, stimulated T cell response far more effectively than coating other substrates such as polystyrene in the antigens, even though the total amount of antigens used remained the same.

    RedOrbit News - Technology 2010

  • They found that the antigens, when presented on the surface of the nanotubes, stimulated T cell response far more effectively than coating other substrates such as polystyrene in the antigens, even though the total amount of antigens used remained the same.

    RedOrbit News - Technology 2010

  • Benzene, of course, is a key feedstock that makes its way into plastics such as polystyrene and expanded polystyrene as well butadiene rubber and polycarbonates.

    Purchasing - Top Stories 2010

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