acryl(o)-
Acrylic.
[English acrylic (from Latin acer, acri-, pungent), plus -o-.]
Acrylic acid is a pungent liquid organic acid. It can be polymerized to make synthetic resins; the adjective acrylic refers to such polymers; an acrylate is a salt or ester of the acid; acrylonitrile is its nitrile, a pungent, toxic liquid, used in making artificial fibres and other polymers.
Visit Michael Quinion’s World Wide Words site for 2000+ articles on English!
Copyright © Michael Quinion 2008–. All rights reserved. Page last updated 23 September 2008.
Your comments and suggestions on the site are very welcome.