celluloid C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary US /ˈsɛljəˌlɔɪd/ UK /ˈsɛljʊˌlɔɪd/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a transparent flammable plastic once used for film and photographic stock The archivist handled the brittle celluloid reels with great care. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a transparent flammable... filmcinema Word family Related forms cellulosecell Etymology AI details A trademark coined in 1871 from cellulose (its main ingredient, from Latin cellula, 'small cell') + the suffix -oid ('resembling', from Greek -oeides). cellula Latin -oeides Ancient Greek View etymology graph -> Topics General Vocabulary External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # celluloid **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈsɛljəˌlɔɪd/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈsɛljʊˌlɔɪd/ ## Meanings 1. a transparent flammable plastic once used for film and photographic stock ## Examples - The archivist handled the brittle celluloid reels with great care. ## Synonyms - film - cinema ## Related Forms - cellulose - cell ## Roots and Affixes - Root: cellula - Root: -oeides ## Etymology A trademark coined in 1871 from cellulose (its main ingredient, from Latin cellula, 'small cell') + the suffix -oid ('resembling', from Greek -oeides). ## AI Etymology Celluloid is a trademark coined in 1871 from cellulose (its main ingredient, from Latin cellula, 'small cell') + the suffix -oid ('resembling', from Greek -oeides). The historical trail runs through cellula in Latin and -oeides in Ancient Greek. Morphologically, celluloid is transparent: a trademark coined in 1871 from cellulose (its main ingredient, from Latin cellula, 'small cell') + the suffix -oid ('resembling', from Greek -oeides). Used as a noun and adjective, celluloid now means "a transparent flammable plastic once used for film and photographic stock", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as cellulose and cell. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English. ## Topics - General Vocabulary markdown