define polymer and monomer
Definition. noun, plural: monomers. (1) A molecule that may react chemically to another molecule of the same type to form a larger molecule, such as dimer, trimer, tetramer, polymer, etc. (2) The simplest unit, or the repeating unit, of a polymer. Supplement. A monomer may combine with another monomer through chemical bonds to form a larger molecule, as in a polymer. Examples of monomers are amino acids that link together by a peptide bond forming a polypeptide or protein. Word origin: from Greek mono one and meros part.
A polymer (/ËpÉlÉ¨mÉr/) (Greek poly- , many + -mer, parts) is a large molecule, or macromolecule, composed of many repeated subunits.