Clingfilm

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈklɪŋfɪlm/

Definitions

1. A lightweight plastic wrap designed to cover food items for preservation and to maintain freshness while allowing visibility of contents
2. A clear, stretchable film employed in culinary settings to seal dishes and protect food from contamination
3. A transparent plastic sheet used to wrap food to keep it fresh and prevent exposure to air or contaminants

Etymology: Clingfilm is about as transparent a compound as English offers: "cling" plus "film," describing a thin plastic sheet that sticks to itself and to the surfaces it covers. The verb "cling" comes from Old English "clingan," meaning to shrink or contract, and it gradually took on the sense of holding fast to something. The noun "film," in its older sense of a thin membrane or skin, was extended in the twentieth century to cover thin plastic sheets of any kind. Pairing the two words describes the product's defining trait: its tendency to adhere to a bowl rim or to itself without glue or tape. The compound is a straightforward coinage built from ordinary English parts, so the most useful detail is simply that its meaning comes directly from its two halves.

Synonyms: plastic wrap