Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “polyurethane” come from?

Polyurethane comes from Ancient Greek πολύς meaning "many" and urethane, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- meaning "to fill."

polyurethane (English): Any of various polymeric resins containing...

Definitions

  1. Any of various polymeric resins containing...

Ancestry of “polyurethane”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishpoly-many; polymer
2Ancient Greekπολύςmany, a lot of; neuter πολύ or πολλά as...
3Ancient Greekπόροςa means of passage, passageway, way, opening;...
4Ancient GreekπείρωI pierce, run through; I cleave through
5Proto-Hellenic*péryō—

Words derived from “polyurethane”

  • polyurethaned
  • nonpolyurethane
  • poly pocket
  • ポリウレタン
  • ポリウレタン線
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *péryō →