poly

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "poly"

English

Etymology 1

Shortening of various words.

Pronunciation

Noun

poly (countable and uncountable, plural polys)

  1. (informal) A polytechnic.
  2. Polyethylene (polythene).
  3. Polyurethane.
  4. (chiefly computer graphics) A polygon.
    Hyponyms: rect, tri
    • 2009, Andrew Paquette, Computer Graphics for Artists II: Environments and Characters:
      The most common poly budget in use for games at the time of this writing is between 5,000 and 10,000 tris.
  5. (uncountable) Polyester.
    a cotton-poly blend
  6. (chiefly informal) Polyamory.
  7. (chiefly informal) A polyamorous person.
  8. (chiefly informal) A polycule.

Adjective

poly (not comparable)

  1. (chiefly informal) Polyamorous.
    Synonym: (informal) polyam
    Coordinate term: mono
    • 2020 August 4, Cynthia McKelvey, “The Challenges of Polyamorous Parenting”, in The New York Times‎:
      Whether the family is poly, L.G.B.T.Q. or another minority, such as a religious one, coming out is very much a personal decision.

Verb

poly (third-person singular simple present polys, present participle polying, simple past and past participle polyed)

  1. (transitive, intransitive, video games, roguelikes) To polymorph; to transform by magic.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Latin polium, the name of a plant, perhaps Teucrium polium.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

poly

  1. A whitish woolly plant (Teucrium polium) of the family Labiatae, found throughout the Mediterranean.
Usage notes
  • The name, with various prefixes, is sometimes given to other related species of the same genus.
Derived terms

Further reading

Anagrams

French

Adjective

poly (plural polys)

  1. (slang) Clipping of polytechnique.
  2. (slang) Clipping of polyvalent.

Noun

poly m or f (plural polys)

  1. (slang) Clipping of polytechnique; itself a clipping of institut polytechnique or école polytechnique
  2. (slang) Clipping of polyvalente; itself a clipping of institut polyvalent or école polyvalente
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