polyoxyethylene

P3O1L1Y4O1X8Y4E1T1H4Y4L1E1N1E1

noun

any polymer of ethylene glycol having a general formula HO-(CH₂CH₂O)ₙ-H; they are used in the manufacture of emulsifiers

OriginEnglish ethylene ← Ancient Greek ὀξῠ́ς (oxŭ́s) ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-der.? →
RareScrabble 36
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Meanings

nounpolyoxyethylene (plural polyoxyethylenes)

plural polyoxyethylenes

  1. chemistryany polymer of ethylene glycol having a general formula HO-(CH₂CH₂O)ₙ-H; they are used in the manufacture of emulsifiers

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*pleh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*polh₁ús
  3. Ancient Greekπολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)
  4. Englishpoly-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eḱ-der.?
  6. Ancient Greekὀξῠ́ς (oxŭ́s)
  7. Englishoxy-
  8. Englishethylene
  9. Englishpolyoxyethylene

From poly- + oxy- + ethylene.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish polyoksietyleeni
  • polyoksietyleeniTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

polyoxyethylene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polyoxyethylene

MLA

“polyoxyethylene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polyoxyethylene. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “polyoxyethylene,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/polyoxyethylene.

Source: polyoxyethylene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.