Nylon
//ˈnaɪlɑn// name, noun
name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Originally, the DuPont company trade name for polyamide, a copolymer whose molecules consist of alternating diamine and dicarboxylic acid monomers bonded together; now generically used for this type of polymer. countable, uncountable
- 2 a group of synthetic fabrics, known generically as aliphatic polyamides wordnet
- 3 A stocking originally fabricated from nylon; also used generically for any long, sheer stocking worn on a woman's legs. countable, in-plural, uncountable
"I tore a hole in my nylons while walking home through the woods."
- 4 a thermoplastic polyamide; a family of strong resilient synthetic fibers wordnet
- 5 A Queen's Counsel, King's Counsel or Senior Counsel who was appointed as a courtesy, rather than on merit. countable, uncountable
Proper Noun
- 1 New York-London, a reference to transatlantic life, people who spend time in both cities, or a transatlantic culture featuring both cities. attributive, often
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of NYLON. alt-of
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"Soft wool is more expensive than coarse wool and both are superior to synthetics made of nylon."
Etymology
Coined by the company DuPont in 1938. According to the company, the name was formed from the random generic syllable nyl- + the common fiber suffix -on (as in rayon and Dacron), said to be ultimately from cotton.
Related phrases
More for "nylon"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.