bioplasticn.
/ˌbʌɪə(ʊ)ˈplastɪk/, U.S. /ˌbaɪoʊˈplæstɪk/ 1. A type of transparent plastic in which biological and palaeontological specimens can be embedded for the purposes of preservation, display, or manipulation. Frequently attributive.
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society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > synthetic resins and plastics > [noun] > plastic > other plastics
hard plastic1896
Galalith1901
Paxolin1918
casein plastic1925
polyvinyl acetate1927
protein plastic1928
Mipolam1936
acrylic1940
styrene plastic1943
bioplastic1946
ABS1957
Noryl1966
1946 Science 1 Mar. 279/2 An exhibit of Ward's new Bio-Plastic mounts will also be made. These consist of biological and geological specimens embedded in clear plastic.
1968 Arcadia (Calif.) Tribune 21 July 8/3 No similar course is offered elsewhere. It offers a wide range of instruction in..bioplastic embedding of marine animals and algae.
1981 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 68 1307/2 The specimen was..transferred to an aluminium foil container filled with Bioplastic.
2001 Internat. Jrnl. Plant Sci. 162 669 The specimen was embedded in bioplastic and sectioned using the cellulose acetate peel technique.
2. Any of various biodegradable plastics derived from biological substances (as opposed to petroleum). Frequently attributive.
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1989 Sydney Morning Herald 7 Oct. 27/5 One startling project is to genetically engineer plants to produce a biopolymer, or plastic, made by some types of bacteria... Once finished with, these new bio-plastics could be simply buried to rot away.
1990 Sci. Amer. Dec. 15/1 Biopol is the only bioplastic being made commercially using bacteria.
2002 Wired July 40/2 Your candy bar's bioplastic wrapper accidentally blows out of the car window... With a little rain, it dissolves in an hour.
2008 B. Brownell Transmaterial 2 v. 103 A Japanese mobile phone, which was the first phone in the world with a casing made mostly of bioplastic.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
bioplasticadj.
/ˈbʌɪə(ʊ)ˌplastɪk/, U.S. /ˈbaɪoʊˌplæstɪk/ Biology. Now rare.
Of, relating to, or concerned with bioplasts.
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the world > life > biology > substance > cell > cell substance > [adjective] > protoplasm or cytoplasm > unit of
bioplastic1871
plastidulic1878
1871 Lancet 30 Dec. 916/2 These cells are bioplastic masses.
1877 Saintsbury in Academy 10 Feb. 112 A Woman's College and a bioplastic professor are introduced.
1905 Lancet 13 May 1251/1 The several bioplastic constituents of the cell.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1946adj.1871