Copolymerization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The technique consists of the simultaneous chemical reaction of various monomers to form a single copolymer structure
2. This method entails the concurrent polymerization of multiple different monomers to yield a copolymer product
3. The process by which two or more distinct monomers chemically bond simultaneously to create a unified polymer chain

Etymology: Copolymerization is a technical coinage from chemistry, built in a fairly mechanical way from parts that each have a traceable history. The core is "polymer," which combines Ancient Greek "polús," meaning "many," with "méros," meaning "part," so a polymer is literally a thing made of many parts. The prefix "co-" comes from Latin "con-," "together," and the suffix "-ization" passes through Latin "-ātiō," which English took via Old French, to describe the process of making something a certain way. Put together, the word names the act of making a polymer with more than one kind of monomer, the building block, at once. Each part carries its own meaning: "together," "many parts," and "the process of." The word is a modern scientific formation, not an ancient one. Its parts are old, but the compound was assembled to name a chemical process as chemists came to understand it.