celluloid

cel·lu·loid

noun \ˈsel-yə-ˌlȯid\

Definition of CELLULOID

1

: a tough flammable thermoplastic composed essentially of cellulose nitrate and camphor

2

: a motion-picture film <a work … making its third appearance on celluloid — John McCarten>

— celluloid adjective

Origin of CELLULOID

from Celluloid, a trademark

First Known Use: 1870

Rhymes with CELLULOID

adenoid, alkaloid, amoeboid, aneroid, anthropoid, arachnoid, asteroid, Australoid, carcinoid, Caucasoid, crystalloid, echinoid, ellipsoid, embryoid, eunuchoid, flavonoid, helicoid, hemorrhoid, hominoid, humanoid, hysteroid, metalloid, Mongoloid, myeloid, nautiloid, nucleoid, null and void, obovoid, opioid, osteoid, overjoyed, paranoid, planetoid, Polaroid, retinoid, rheumatoid, solenoid, Stalinoid, trapezoid, unalloyed, unemployed

celluloid

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Name for the first synthetic plastic material, developed in 1869. Made of a colloid of cellulose nitrate (nitrocellulose) plasticized with camphor, it is tough, cheap to produce, and resistant to water, oils, and dilute acids. It found a great variety of uses in combs, films, toys, and many other mass-produced consumer goods. Though it has been replaced in many uses by nonflammable synthetic polymers (originally cellulose acetate and Bakelite, then a host of others), it is still manufactured and used.