Vinyl Records Are Named After the Plastic
Vinyl is a type of plastic, and by extension a record made from it. The chemical name comes from the Latin for wine.
Vinyl is a type of plastic, and informally a gramophone record made from it. The chemical name traces back to wine: the vinyl group was named from Latin *vinum*, because the related compound was derived from ethyl alcohol, the alcohol in wine. A record album is therefore named, at four removes, after a drink. Before vinyl, records were made of shellac, a resin secreted by the lac insect, which is why they broke so easily.
- A plastic. *Vinyl flooring.*
- A record. *A vinyl album.*
- PVC — polyvinyl chloride. *PVC.*
- Shellac — the earlier record material. *Shellac.*
- Latin — *vinum*, wine. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | vinyl | Vinyl. |
| Adjective | vinyl | Vinyl flooring. |
| Compound | polyvinyl | Polyvinyl. |
| Related | vinegar | Vinegar. |
| Latin | vinum | Wine. |
- He collects vinyl.Records.
- The floor is vinyl.Material.
- The name traces back to wine.Etymology.
Record materials through time
- Wax cylinders — the earliest recordings
- Shellac — 78 rpm discs, brittle and heavy
- Vinyl — from 1948, lighter, quieter and less breakable
- The lac insect produced shellac, which is why supply was limited
- Vinyl's flexibility allowed the finer grooves of the long-playing record
From Latin *vinum*, wine, plus the chemical suffix *-yl*, because the compound was derived from ethyl alcohol.
Why is vinyl named after wine?
The chemical vinyl group was named from Latin vinum because it was derived from ethyl alcohol, the alcohol found in wine.
What were records made of before vinyl?
Shellac, a resin secreted by the lac insect. It was brittle, heavy and noisy compared with vinyl.