n.
- a synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers such as polyethylene, PVC, nylon, etc., which can be moulded into shape while soft and then set into a rigid or slightly elastic form.
- informal credit cards or other plastic cards that can be used as money.
adj.
- made of plastic.
▸artificial; unnatural:
long-distance flights with their plastic food.
- easily shaped or moulded.
▸(in science and technology) relating to the permanent deformation of a solid without fracture by the temporary application of force.
- (in art) relating to moulding or modelling in three dimensions, or to produce three-dimensional effects.
- Biology exhibiting adaptability to change in the environment.
Derivative
- plastically adv.
- plasticity
/plaˈstɪsɪti/
n.
Etymology
C17: from Fr. plastique or L. plasticus, from Gk plastikos, from plassein ‘to mould’.