poly
ˈpɑːli
Your jacket and a five-language colleague run on the same poly
The picture The same small thing linked over and over in a row until it is one whole. Only the thing being linked changes. poly is many of the same linked up; mono is exactly one.
Where the picture shows up in poly
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Many links in a thread
This jacket is made of polyester.
ðɪs ˈdʒækɪt ɪz meɪd əv ˌpɑːliˈestər
This jacket is made of polyester.
Tiny rings holding hands in an endless chain until they become one thread.
poly(many) + ester(link) = a thread of links in a row.
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Many tongues
Our new hire is a polyglot.
aʊr nuː ˈhaɪər ɪz ə ˈpɑːliɡlɑːt
Our new hire is a polyglot.
One mouth pouring out a different country's language each time it opens.
glot means tongue — many tongues in one person.
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Many sides
Cut the sign into a polygon with six sides.
kʌt ðə saɪn ˈɪntə ə ˈpɑːliɡɑːn wɪð sɪks saɪdz
Cut the sign into a polygon with six sides.
Six straight lines meeting end to end until they close off a shape.
gon means corner.
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Many departments
Go to the polyclinic; one visit covers everything.
ɡoʊ tə ðə ˌpɑːliˈklɪnɪk wʌn ˈvɪzɪt ˈkʌvərz ˈevriθɪŋ
Go to the polyclinic; one visit covers everything.
One corridor with dental, eye, and internal medicine plates hung side by side down the wall.
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Many units
That pipe is a polymer, so it will not rust.
ðæt paɪp ɪz ə ˈpɑːlɪmər soʊ ɪt wɪl nɑːt rʌst
That pipe is a polymer, so it will not rust.
The same tiny unit linking on and on until the chain is a hard pipe.
mer means one unit — many units joined.
All of it in one picture
poly is simply 'many of them'. Link small rings in a row and you get polyester cloth; put many tongues in one mouth and you get a polyglot. Many sides makes a polygon, many clinics under one roof makes a polyclinic, and the same unit linked on forever makes a polymer. So when poly shows up, just count: many of what?