Oligomer
/ˌɑːlɪˈɡoʊmər/noun
A molecule made of a small number of repeating units, typically fewer than those in a polymer.
Did you know?The word combines Greek terms meaning “few” and “part,” making oligomers the linguistic opposite of polymers, whose name means “many parts.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὀλίγος (oligos)
“Few, small in number”
Ancient Greek
Greek
μέρος (meros)
“Part, portion, share”
19th Century
Scientific Greek combining forms
oligo- + -mer
“A few-part structure; a small number of molecular units”
Early 20th Century
German/Scientific English
Oligomer
“A molecule composed of a small number of linked units”
Modern English
English
oligomer
“A molecule containing a limited number of repeating molecular units”