polyester

/ˌˈpɑliˌˈɛstər/

/pɒliˈɛstə/

Other forms: polyesters

Polyester is a synthetic fabric used in everything from kayaks to shirts. Polyester clothes were popular in the 1970s, but they stink if you disco dance in them for too long. Polyester doesn’t breathe!

You might think of polyester as a cheap alternative to a natural fabric like wool, silk, or cotton. In certain situations, though, polyester is ideal. Shirts that are a blend of cotton and polyester, for example, don't wrinkle easily; and a sofa covered in polyester is easy to clean. Polyester jackets are often quick drying or even waterproof. Polyester comes from a combination of two common words in chemistry, polymer (having many parts) and -ester (a chemical compound).

Definitions of polyester

1. noun

   a complex ester used for making fibers or resins or plastics or as a plasticizer
   type of:

   plastic

   generic name for certain synthetic or semisynthetic materials that can be molded or extruded into objects or films or filaments or used for making e.g. coatings and adhesives

   ester

   formed by reaction between an acid and an alcohol with elimination of water
2. noun

   any of numerous synthetic resins; they are light and strong and weather resistant
   types:

   polyester fiber

   a quick-drying resilient synthetic fiber consisting primarily of polyester

   type of:

   synthetic resin

   a resin having a polymeric structure; especially a resin in the raw state; used chiefly in plastics
3. noun

   any of a large class of synthetic fabrics
   types:

   Dacron, Terylene

   a kind of polyester fabric

   type of:

   cloth, fabric, material, textile

   artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers