Meaning & use
polypropylene
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Meaning
noununcountablechemistry
A light, tough plastic made from propylene, used for containers, ropes, carpets and clothing fabric.
Grammar: Used without a: the box is made of polypropylene.
Patterns
- made of polypropylene
- a polypropylene something
The lunch boxes are made of polypropylene, so they survive the dishwasher.
Polypropylene rope floats on water.
Thermal underwear often contains polypropylene because it dries quickly.
Common combinations
- polypropylene rope
- Polypropylene rope is popular on boats.
- polypropylene container
- The polypropylene container is safe in the microwave.
- made of polypropylene
- The bottle cap is made of polypropylene.
- polypropylene fabric
- Polypropylene fabric resists moisture.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- polymer noun
- a substance made of long chains of repeating units
- propylene noun
- the gas from which this plastic is made
- polypropene noun
- an alternative chemical name for the same plastic
Commonly confused: polypropylene or polyethylene?
polypropylene vs polyethylene
Polyethylene is a different plastic, softer and more flexible; do not swap it with polypropylene in technical writing.
Practice
Which is the correct spelling of the plastic used in food containers and rope?
Choose one answer.
The word is built from poly plus propylene and ends with ylene. The other options misspell the vowels.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “polypropylene”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.