Chemours

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large American chemical manufacturer that produces materials such as refrigerants, titanium dioxide and fluoropolymers for industrial and consumer use
2. The name of a major United States corporation specializing in chemical products, including Teflon-related polymers, pigments and agricultural chemicals
3. A multinational firm headquartered in the United States that makes a wide range of chemicals, plastics and performance materials for many industries

Etymology: Chemours is a corporate name, not a word that developed through centuries of use. It was coined in the mid-2010s for the performance chemicals business that DuPont separated into an independent company in 2015. The name is generally understood as a blend of "chemistry" and "ours," though the company's own naming rationale is the authority on that point. The company took on DuPont's fluoropolymer operations, including the production of Teflon and other PFAS chemicals. That inheritance explains why the name is now better known in court records and environmental reporting than in chemical catalogs. Lawsuits over PFAS contamination, particularly in North Carolina and West Virginia, have been central to the company's history since the spin-off.