Meanings
plural biopolymers
- biochemistryAny macromolecule of a living organism that is formed from the polymerization of smaller entities; a polymer that occurs in a living organism or results from life.
There are three main classes of biopolymers: polynucleotides (such as RNA and DNA), polypeptides (such as collagen and actin), and polysaccharides (such as cellulose and starch).
2 more examples
Products based on durable biopolymers have begun appearing in the marketplace.
2007 March 21, Susan Moran, “The new bioplastics, more than just forks”, in The New York TimesCJ Biomaterials was the first company in the world to produce amorphous PHA, it says, which is a softer, rubberier version of PHA that offers fundamentally different performance characteristics than crystalline or semi-crystalline forms of the biopolymer.
2023 June 29, Mike Edwards, “Collaboration leads to eco-friendly straw made with polyhydroxyalkanoate”, in CPECN
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷeyh₃-
- Ancient Greekβῐ́ος (bĭ́os)
- Ancient Greekβῐο- (bĭo-)
- Englishbio-
- Proto-Indo-European*pleh₁-
- Proto-Indo-European*polh₁ús
- Ancient Greekπολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)
- Englishpoly-
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)mer-
- Proto-Indo-European*(s)méros
- Proto-Hellenic*(h)méros
- Ancient Greekμέρος (méros)
- Englishpolymer
- Englishbiopolymer
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 生物聚合物
- 生物聚合物polymer that occurs in a living organism
Finnish biopolymeeri
- biopolymeeripolymer that occurs in a living organism
French biopolymère
- biopolymèrepolymer that occurs in a living organism
Greek βιοπολυμερές
- βιοπολυμερές (viopolymerés)polymer that occurs in a living organism
Polish biopolimer
- biopolimerpolymer that occurs in a living organism
Cite this entry
biopolymer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biopolymer
“biopolymer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biopolymer. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “biopolymer,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/biopolymer.
Source: biopolymer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.