A polymer is a chemical made of very large molecules. Each of those big molecules is a long chain (or a kind of net) built from the same small piece repeated many times. Poly- is 'many' and -mer is 'part', so a polymer is 'many parts' joined into one.

A polymer polymer（聚合物） is是 a chemical一種化學物質， made of very large molecules由非常大的分子組成。Each of those big molecules這些大分子裡的每一個 is都是 a long chain (or a kind of net)一條長鏈（或一種網狀構造）， built from the same small piece repeated many times是由同一種小單位重複很多次組成的。Poly- poly- is ‘many’是「多」的意思， and -mer而-mer is ‘part’是「部分」的意思， so a polymer所以polymer is ‘many parts’ joined into one就是「很多部分」接在一起變成一個。

Plastic is the polymer most people meet first: bottles, bags, phone cases. Though actually, polymer is a much wider word than plastic.

Plastic塑膠 is the polymer most people meet first是大部分人最先接觸到的聚合物： bottles, bags, phone cases寶特瓶、袋子、手機殼都是。Though actually不過事實上， polymer is a much wider word than plastic polymer涵蓋的範圍比塑膠廣得多。

Rubber is a polymer. The starch in rice is a polymer. DNA in your body is a polymer. The small repeating piece is a monomer; when many monomers join, you have a polymer.

Rubber橡膠 is a polymer也是聚合物。The starch in rice米飯裡的澱粉 is a polymer也是聚合物。DNA in your body你身體裡的DNA is a polymer也是聚合物。The small repeating piece那個一直重複出現的小單位 is a monomer叫做單體（monomer）； when many monomers join當很多單體接在一起， you have a polymer就變成了聚合物。

Everyday talk says 'plastic' for a polymer you can shape when it is soft. In science class, polymer is the exact word, and it covers far more than the things in a shop.

Everyday talk日常說話 says ‘plastic’會說「塑膠」， for a polymer you can shape when it is soft指的是那種軟的時候可以塑形的聚合物。In science class在自然科課堂上， polymer is the exact word polymer才是精確的說法， and it covers far more than the things in a shop涵蓋的範圍比店裡看到的東西多得多。

A chemist, Jöns Jacob Berzelius, coined the word in 1833, though what he meant then was not quite what chemists mean by polymer today.

A chemist, Jöns Jacob Berzelius,一位化學家永斯·雅各·貝吉里斯（Jöns Jacob Berzelius）， coined the word創造了這個字， in 1833時間是1833年， though what he meant then不過他當時的意思 was not quite what chemists mean by polymer today跟今天化學家講的polymer不太一樣。