What does elastomer mean?
An elastomer is a polymer with elastic, rubber-like qualities — a material that can be stretched to many times its original length and will return largely to its original shape once released. The class includes both natural rubber, tapped from rubber trees, and a wide family of synthetic rubbers such as silicone, polyurethane, neoprene, and various fluoroelastomers. Chemically, elastomers consist of long, coiled molecular chains linked at intervals by cross-links, which allow them to deform extensively without breaking and to recover when stress is removed. Because of this resilience, elastomers are indispensable in modern engineering: they appear in tires, seals, gaskets, hoses, adhesives, medical devices, and countless consumer products. The word belongs primarily to technical registers — chemistry, materials science, and manufacturing — where it distinguishes elastic polymers from rigid plastics. In casual conversation, speakers typically say 'rubber' regardless of whether the material occurs naturally.
nounA polymer, typically a rubber or synthetic rubber, that has the property of elasticity: it can be stretched to several times its original length and returns substantially to its original shape when the stretching force is released.
- Any natural or synthetic polymeric material that exhibits elastic or rubber-like behavior, returning approximately to its original shape after being stretched.
"The seal is made of a durable elastomer that withstands both heat and pressure."
"Engineers selected a fluoroelastomer for the gaskets because ordinary elastomers would degrade in the hot fuel environment."
"The phone case is molded from a soft thermoplastic elastomer that feels grippy yet wipes clean."
Standard regular plural; commonly used when comparing classes of elastic materials.
"Thermoplastic elastomers can be melted and remolded, unlike conventional vulcanized rubbers."
Stretch an elastomer up to several times its length, let go, and it snaps right back — the same physics that lets a rubber band survive millions of stretches.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of elastomer
The word 'elastomer' was coined in the 20th century from the adjective 'elastic', which derives ultimately from Greek 'elastos' meaning ductile or pliable, combined with the suffix '-mer' from Greek 'meros', meaning part — the same element found in 'polymer', 'monomer', and 'isomer'. It emerged alongside the growth of polymer science as researchers needed a general term covering both natural rubber and the new synthetic rubbers being developed.
How elastomer is actually used
Elastomer is a technical term used chiefly in chemistry, materials science, and engineering; in everyday speech people usually say 'rubber' even when the material is synthetic. It is neutral in register and standard in formal scientific writing.
Easily confused with elastomer
A polymer is any large molecule made of repeating subunits, whereas an elastomer is specifically the subclass of polymers with elastic, rubber-like properties.
Plastics are generally rigid or only mildly flexible and deform permanently under stress, while elastomers stretch far and spring back to their original shape.