English
polymer
From poly- + -mer, from Ancient Greek πολύς (polús, “many”) + μέρος (méros, “part”).
A compound of πολύς ‘many’ + μέρος ‘part’
Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- ‘to fill’
Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús ‘much, many’
Ancient Greek πολύς ‘many’
Proto-Hellenic *(h)méros
Ancient Greek μέρος ‘part’
The story
Coined by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1833, though his definition was quite different from the modern one.
Today it means
noun A long or larger molecule consisting of a chain or network of many repeating units, formed by chemically bonding together many identical or similar small molecules called monomers. A polymer is formed by polymerization, the joining of many monomer molecules.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / polymer