biopolymer

noun

bio·​poly·​mer ˌbī-ō-ˈpä-lə-mər How to pronounce biopolymer (audio)
: a polymeric substance (such as a protein or polysaccharide) formed in a biological system

Examples of biopolymer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As the technical description in New School's press kit says: New School Foods’ process starts by creating a biopolymer gel. Rob Pegoraro, Ars Technica, 19 Aug. 2023 Unless these issues can be resolved, optimizing yield rates or reducing expenses associated with biomanufacturing processes for producing biopolymers will not be easy. Melik Demirel, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023 Modern industrial biotechnology faces the challenge of understanding how molecules and biopolymers are synthesized and assembled on a large scale. Melik Demirel, Forbes, 20 Apr. 2023 Perhaps some critter in the ocean's food chain could be altered to excrete an organic biopolymer like lignin that's hard to metabolize, which would settle to the seafloor and sequester carbon. David Fork, IEEE Spectrum, 28 June 2021 Case Western University chemist Christoph Weder has developed a biopolymer that, like the sea cucumber's skin, can change from stiff to supple in an instant. Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010 In vitro binding of heavy metals by an edible biopolymer poly(γ-glutamic acid). Alice Chi Phung, Discover Magazine, 2 Feb. 2016 Kim and his team created the tags by processing fluorescent silk cocoons from specialized silkworms to create a biopolymer, which can be formed into different patterns to encode information. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 July 2022 The company said it’s the first to sell these kinds of chips to willing customers, unleashing its biopolymer technology about the size of a small safety pin on the world last year. Bill Hardekopf, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biopolymer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of biopolymer was in 1957

Dictionary Entries Near biopolymer

Cite this Entry

“Biopolymer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biopolymer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

biopolymer

noun
bio·​poly·​mer ˌbī-ō-ˈpäl-ə-mər How to pronounce biopolymer (audio)
: a polymeric substance (as a protein or polysaccharide) formed in a biological system
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!