Celloid

/ˈsɛlɔɪd/ noun

Definition

An early type of plastic material made from cellulose, similar to celluloid but with slightly different chemical composition.

Etymology

From cello- (cellulose) + -oid (suffix meaning resembling). Created as chemists developed various cellulose-based plastics in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Kelly Says

Celloid is a forgotten sibling of celluloid in the plastic family tree—while celluloid became famous (and infamous for spontaneously burning), celloid competed for the same markets and is now mostly a historical curiosity in chemistry museums.

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