Plastic Surgery Has Nothing To Do With Plastic
Plastic is a synthetic material, and an adjective meaning mouldable. Plastic surgery uses the older sense, and predates the material.
Plastic as a noun names a family of synthetic polymers. As an adjective it means capable of being shaped, from Greek *plastikos*, and that is the sense inside *plastic surgery*: the reshaping of tissue. The specialty is far older than the material, and the two have never been connected.
- A synthetic mouldable material. *A plastic bottle.*
- Capable of being shaped. *Plastic clay.*
- Artificial or insincere. *A plastic smile.*
- Plasticity — the ability to change shape. *Neural plasticity.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | plastic | Recycled plastic. |
| Adjective | plastic | Plastic packaging. |
| Noun | plasticity | Brain plasticity. |
| Related | polymer | A long polymer chain. |
| Related | thermoplastic | A thermoplastic resin. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The bottle is made of recycled plastic.The material.
- Plastic surgery reconstructs as well as alters.Much of it is reconstructive.
- The brain shows remarkable plasticity.The capacity to reorganise.
Kinds of plastic
- PET — drinks bottles, widely recycled
- HDPE — milk bottles and pipes
- PVC — window frames and pipes
- Polystyrene — packaging and disposable cups
- Bioplastic — made from plant material, not always compostable
From Greek *plastikos*, able to be moulded, from *plassein*, to form. The material sense dates from the early twentieth century, after Bakelite was patented in 1907.
Why is it called plastic surgery?
From the older meaning of plastic: shaping or moulding. The name is recorded well before synthetic plastics existed.
Are all plastics recyclable?
In principle many are, but in practice it depends on local facilities, contamination and whether there is a market for the recovered material.