polyvinyl alcohol

noun

variants or less commonly polyvinylalcohol

ˌpä-lē-ˌvī-nᵊl-ˈal-kə-ˌhȯl 

: a colorless synthetic polymer that has the chemical structure H(CH₂CHOH)_nH and that is used especially in adhesives, films, and fibers, and in biomedical applications especially as hydrogels

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a nontoxic, biodegradable, and biocompatible polymer and has been used extensively in various fields.

—Leela Gautam et al.

Today, instead of starch or gelatin, we often use a synthetic material, polyvinyl alcohol, which can be dissolved in water to make "white glue," a current household favorite.

—Joe Schwarcz

called also PVA

Examples of polyvinyl alcohol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The thin wrapping portion of the pod which contains the liquid detergent is made from PVA, a dissolvable form of plastic also known as polyvinyl alcohol. —Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Oct. 2024

Health Synthetic cartilage is now stronger than the real stuff The synthetic cartilage was made from cellulose fibers — the stuff found in wood — mixed with a goo called polyvinyl alcohol. —Big Think, 24 June 2024

Hu and colleagues have also used polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA—a polymer used in glue and food packaging—to infiltrate the wood skeletons, making transparent wood that conducts heat at a rate five times lower than that of glass, the team reported in 2019 in Advanced Functional Materials. —Jude Coleman, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above