polythene

Contraction of polyethylene.

polythene (countable and uncountable, plural polythenes)

1. (organic chemistry, chiefly British) A light thermoplastic used in packaging etc.; polyethylene.
   • 1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 129:

     All that was needed [to make a hula hoop] was a bag of high-density polythene dust, a handful of two-inch wooden plugs, half a pound of wire staples, and the help of a man with an extrusion machine, which simply meant anyone who could make a length of plastic hose.

• “polythene”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

• telephony