Etymology The common sense of plastic as a material was derived by shortening the term thermoplastic, a term used to describe that subset of common plastics that soften when heated. (The other major subset of plastics is the thermosetting plastics, Bakelite being the best known example. Noun a stiff but usually slightly flexible synthetic material, generally consisting of a hydrocarbon-based polymer. any similar synthetic material. Adjective of or pertaining to the inelastic deformation of a material. constructed of plastic.
