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poly

1 American  
[pol-ee] / ˈpɒl i /

noun

plural

polies

  1. Informal. polyester.

    a blend of poly and cotton.

  2. a fabric or garment made of polyester.

adjective

  1. made of or containing polyester.

    a poly swimsuit.
poly 2 American  
[pol-ee] / ˈpɒl i /

adjective

Informal.

  1. noting or relating to polyamory; polyamorous.

    They’re in a poly relationship.

  2. identifying as polyamorous.

    They’re not monogamous, they’re poly.
poly- 3 American  

  1. a combining form with the meanings “much, many” and, in chemistry, “polymeric,” used in the formation of compound words.

    polyandrous; polyculture; polyethylene.
poly. 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. polytechnic.

poly- 1 British  

combining form

  1. more than one; many or much

    polyhedron

  2. having an excessive or abnormal number or amount

    polycythaemia
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
poly 2 British  
/ ˈpɒlɪ /

noun

  1. informal short for polytechnic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. informal short for polyester

  2. informal short for polythene

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
poly– Scientific  

  1. A prefix meaning “many,” as in polygon, a figure having many sides. In chemistry, it is used to form the names of polymers by being attached to the name of the base unit of which the polymer is made, as in polysaccharide, a polymer made of repeating simple sugars (monosaccharides).

Usage

What does poly- mean? Poly- is a combining form with multiple meanings. In many terms, it is used like a prefix meaning “much, many.” In terms from chemistry, it denotes "polymeric," meaning "of or relating to a polymer." It is often used in a variety of scientific and technical terms, especially in biology.Poly- comes from Greek polýs, meaning “many.” The Latin equivalent of polýs is multus, also meaning both “much” and “many,” which is the source of the combining form multi-. To learn more, check out our Words That Use article about multi-.

Etymology

Origin of poly1

By shortening

Origin of poly2

First recorded in 1990–95; shortening of polyamorous ( def. )

Origin of poly-3

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

JSerra 4, Riverside Poly 0: Liliana Escobar struck out 15 for JSerra, which also defeated South Hills 2-0.

From Los Angeles Times

Other Southern Section programs that should continue their success from last year include Division 1 runner-up El Modena and semifinalist Temescal Canyon, Division 2 champion Los Alamitos and Division 3 champion Marina as well as La Mirada, Ayala, Chino Hills and Long Beach Poly.

From Los Angeles Times

Camarillo 4, Sun Valley Poly 1: Turner Hothan gave up one hit in four innings for Camarillo.

From Los Angeles Times

Brentwood 61, Long Beach Poly 55: AJ Okoh delivered a 31-point performance for the Eagles, who will face Fairmont Prep on the road Friday.

From Los Angeles Times

Kevin Lara scored 15 points for Poly.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.