US /ˈsɛljəˌlɔɪd/ UK /ˈsɛljʊˌlɔɪd/
noun adj

Meanings

  1. 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

A trademark coined in 1871 from cellulose (its main ingredient, from Latin cellula, 'small cell') + the suffix -oid ('resembling', from Greek -oeides).

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Topics

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