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plastic

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plastic

1. any one of a large number of synthetic usually organic materials that have a polymeric structure and can be moulded when soft and then set, esp such a material in a finished state containing plasticizer, stabilizer, filler, pigments, etc. Plastics are classified as thermosetting (such as Bakelite) or thermoplastic (such as PVC) and are used in the manufacture of many articles and in coatings, artificial fibres, etc.
2. Fine arts
a. of or relating to moulding or modelling
b. produced or apparently produced by moulding
3. Biology of or relating to any formative process; able to change, develop, or grow
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Plastic

Any of the various synthetic complex organic compounds produced by polymerization; can be molded, extruded, or cast into various shapes or drawn into fibers.

acrylic fiber

A synthetic polymer fiber.

fiberglass

The generic term for a material consisting of extremely fine filaments of glass that are mixed with a resin to give the desired form in a mold. Layers of this combination are laid or sprayed into the mold.

nylon

A class of thermoplastics characterized by extreme toughness, strength, and elasticity and capable of being extruded into filaments, fibers and sheets.
Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

plastic

[′plas·tik]
(materials)
A polymeric material (usually organic) of large molecular weight which can be shaped by flow; usually refers to the final product with fillers, plasticizers, pigments, and stabilizers included (versus the resin, the homogeneous polymeric starting material); examples are polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, and urea-formaldehyde.
(mechanics)
Displaying, or associated with, plasticity.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

plastic

plasterwork, 1
1. A natural or artificially prepared organic polymer of low extensibility, as compared with rubber; can be molded, extruded, cut, or worked into a great variety of objects, rigid or nonrigid, relatively light, which are formed by condensation polymerization and by vinyl polymerization; plastics.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

plastic

The condition in which material is capable of being shaped. It is normally in a semisolid state.
An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
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References in periodicals archive
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Community curbside recycling programs often accept plastic bottles marked "1" or "2" on the bottom.
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Despite such progress, many hurdles remain before plastic RFID tags will show up in supermarkets or mailboxes.
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The American Plastics Council respectfully requests that EHP address the misinformation that appeared in these articles and which is available on the EHP website.
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Although there are a number of commercially-available computer programs for modeling pelletized plastics extrusion, which can be of great utility in screw design, the cost of the software and the effort and expense required to obtain the numerous compound flow and frictional variables necessary to run the programs tend to deter many processors, particularly the smaller ones.
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"It's a sad fact," says Janice Styer, therapist at the Caron Foundation in Philadelphia, "but getting plastic surgery is almost as accepted as getting braces these days." Unfortunately, surgery is not the quick fix many girls hope for.
About face: more and more teen girls are willing to do almost anything to look good, including going under the knife. But with all the possible dangers involved, both physical and emotional, is plastic surgery really such a smart move?
Plastic is different from paper in that it does well in landfills.
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