plastic

en-noun

plastic (countable and uncountable, plural plastics)

→ Japanese: プラスチック (purasuchikku)

→ Korean: 플라스틱 (peullaseutik)

→ Swahili: plastiki

From Latin plasticus (“of molding”), from Ancient Greek πλαστικός (plastikós), from πλάσσω (plássō, “to mold, form”). Doublet of plastique.

Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field. Dr Mincer and Dr Amaral-Zettler found evidence of them on their marine plastic, too.

2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

These endocrine disruptors are everywhere: plastics, shampoos, cosmetics, cushions, pesticides, canned foods and A.T.M. receipts. They often aren’t on labels and can be difficult to avoid.

2021 February 20, Nicholas Kristof, “What Are Sperm Telling Us?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

A synthetic, solid, hydrocarbon-based polymer, whether thermoplastic or thermosetting.

It's all about fast cars and cussing each other / but it doesn't matter cause I'm packing plastic / and that's what makes my life so fucking fantastic.

(colloquial, metonymically) Credit or debit cards used in place of cash to buy goods and services.


plastic

en-adj

plastic (comparative more plastic, superlative most plastic)

more plastic (comparative)
most plastic (superlative)

A canister of flour from the kitchen had been thrown at the looking-glass and lay like trampled snow over the remains of a decent blue suit with the lining ripped out which lay on top of the ruin of a plastic wardrobe.

1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

A green plastic watering can / For a fake Chinese rubber plant / In a fake plastic earth / That she bought from a rubber man / In a town full of rubber plans / To get rid of itself

1995, Radiohead (lyrics and music), “Fake Plastic Trees”, in The Bends:


polydioxanone

(organic chemistry) A biodegradable plastic made by the polymerization of p-dioxanone; it is used in medical applications such as sutures


bioplastic

Coordinate term: biopolymer

A bioplastic can be defined as a polymer that is manufactured into a commercial product from a natural source or renewable resource. A bioplastic can be biodegradable, but a biodegradable plastic does not mean the material was derived fully or in part from a biological source.

2012, Alfred Rudin, Phillip Choi, The Elements of Polymer Science and Engineering, Academic Press, →ISBN, page 521:

en:synthetic polymer made from renewable biomass

Any form of synthetic polymer, similar to normal plastic, made from renewable biomass sources such as plant sugars, starches, or oils, rather than from petroleum.


microplastic

en-noun

microplastic (countable and uncountable, plural microplastics)

Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped in the environment and microplastics now contaminate the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans.

2022 March 24, Damian Carrington, “Microplastics found in human blood for first time”, in The Guardian:

Sailors testing the waters during the Ocean Race, which travels through some of the world’s most remote ocean environments, have found microplastics in every sample.

2023 June 5, Yvonne Gordon, “Microplastics found in every sample of water taken during Ocean Race”, in The Guardian:

Small particles of plastic (typically less than 5 mm) produced by the degradation of plastic products, found in high levels in the marine environment and increasingly throughout all environments and in food and drinks.


macroplastic

macroplastic (countable and uncountable, plural macroplastics)

Relatively large particles of plastic found especially in the marine environment (typically more than about 5 mm)


mesoplastic

mesoplastic (countable and uncountable, plural mesoplastics)

particles of plastic found especially in the marine environment (typically about 10 mm)


plastisphere

From plastic + -sphere, analogous to biosphere. Coined by American biologist Linda Amaral-Zettler.

coin

Welcome to the plastisphere

(The Plastisphere is one of the many industrial-natural ecosystems that characterize the Anthropocene.) Cleaning ocean plastics, even if it were technologically possible on a scale that would make a difference, would disrupt and destroy the life we would be trying to save in the first place.

2014, Marina Zurkow, The Petroleum Manga, punctum books, →DOI, →ISBN, page 24:

Freshwater and marine habitats share a number of features, but there are also differences between them that may affect the development and activities of plastisphere consortia.

2017, Martin Wagner, Scott Lambert, Freshwater Microplastics: Emerging Environmental Contaminants?, Springer, →ISBN, page 183:

(ecology) The ecosystem on the surface of a piece of plastic (especially in a marine environment).


nanoplastic

A nanoparticle formed by the degradation of a plastic.


pyroplastic

Burned pieces of waste plastic that are present as a type of pollution in the environment.


megaplastic

en-noun

megaplastic (countable and uncountable, plural megaplastics)

Particles or pieces of waste plastic above 50 cm (19.69 in) in size, a common marine pollutant.


plasticard

Your right, plasticard is just another word for those thin sheets of polystyrene model kits are made from.

1996 April 22, Ron Kruger, “Modeling: What is Plasticard?”, in rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (Usenet), retrieved 2022-02-21:

I was looking at the TerraGenesis pages on terrain building (which by the way are great) when a question occured^([sic]) to me. What the heck is plasticard exactly and where do you get it? I mean, is plasticard one of those British (no disrespect intended) terms which us Americans can't understand (ie. PVA glue = Elmer's white glue)or am I just missing something very basic?

1997 October 9, Paul and Kristin Shoemaker, “plasticard???”, in rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (Usenet), retrieved 2022-02-21:

Plasticard is simply polystyrene plastic . . same stuff that is used in all those model cars and planes.

1997 October 10, DBurgerOTR, “plasticard???”, in rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (Usenet), retrieved 2022-02-21:

Two questions
1. Where is a good place to get plasticard and
2. what is the approximate price

2003 December 18, Danimal, “[MODEL]Plasticard”, in rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (Usenet), retrieved 2022-02-21:

Thin polystyrene sheets used in arts and crafts.


petroplastic

A plastic produced from petroleum, as opposed to bioplastic.