4 syllables: Po, ly, a, mide. Stress on a.
pah-lee-AM-eyed
/ˌpɑˌliˈæˌmaɪd/
Polyamide is pronounced pah-lee-AM-eyed (/ˌpɑˌliˈæˌmaɪd/). It has four syllables (Po-ly-a-mide), with the stress on "a". Polyamide is a type of polymer formed by linking monomers with amide bonds, notable for materials like Kevlar and nylon. It encompasses a broad family used in textiles, engineering plastics, and coatings due to its strength, durability, and chemical resistance. The term emphasizes the repeating amide linkages that give these polymers their characteristic properties.
nounPolyamide is a type of polymer formed by linking monomers with amide bonds, notable for materials like Kevlar and nylon. It encompasses a broad family used in textiles, engineering plastics, and coatings due to its strength, durability, and chemical resistance. The term emphasizes the repeating amide linkages that give these polymers their characteristic properties.
How to Pronounce Polyamide
"Polyamide fibers are woven into durable textiles used in outdoor apparel."
"Nylon, a common polyamide, was a breakthrough in synthetic fibers during the 20th century."
"The polyamide coating provides corrosion resistance in industrial machinery."
Polyamide is pronounced PO-lee-A-mid (US: /ˌpɒl.iˈæˌmaɪd/; UK: /ˌpɒl.iˈæː.maɪd/; AU: /ˌpɒl.iˈæː.maɪd/). The primary stress falls on the second syllable, with a clear 'a' in amide and a long 'i' in -amide. Start with 'poly' as POP-lee, then emphasize the 'amide' as AH-mide; ensure the 'l' sound carries through into the second syllable. Audio resources: you can compare to similar terms on Forvo or YouGlish for native usage.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress on the first syllable (po-LY-a-mide) — fix by stressing the second syllable: po-LY-a-mid with clear 'æ' before 'mide'. 2) Slurring the 'ly' in poly into a quick 'lee' or 'li', instead of a distinct 'lee' before the 'a'— say POH-lee-AY-mid. 3) Mispronouncing 'amide' as 'uh-MIDE' or 'a-MID' — keep the 'ah' sound: 'AM-ide' with a short 'a' and a crisp 'mide' ending. Practice slow, then speed up while maintaining the 'ly' and 'ai' vowels.
In US English, you’ll hear PO-lee-uh-MYDE with a hard 'a' in 'amide' and rhoticity affecting surrounding vowels. UK speakers typically sustain a slightly longer 'a' in the first syllables and can show a touch more clipped final '-ide', with reduced rhotics. Australian pronunciation is similar to UK but may feature a more centralized vowel in 'poly' and a marked tendency to a longer 'ai' diphthong in the final syllable. Overall, the second syllable remains stressed, with minor vowel quality shifts across regions.
It combines multiple phonetic challenges: a three-syllable word with a non-intuitive stress pattern (secondary rhythm in poly- vs amide), a clear but unfamiliar -amide ending which uses a stressed 'ai' diphthong in many dialects, and a cluster between 'poly' and 'amide' that can blur the boundary. The 'ly' sequence often trips speakers into a 'pol-y-uh-mide' mispronunciation. Practicing the full string with deliberate phoneme-by-phoneme checks helps stabilize the cadence.
A key unique feature is the -amide ending, which invites both a short 'a' and a long 'ide' vowel depending on speaker and dialect. The word also includes the prefix 'poly-' which often yields a light, quick 'po-lee' or 'puh-lee' depending on habitual pronunciation. Another distinctive factor is the 'ai' in '-amide' that often becomes a long 'i' sound, making 'amide' sound like 'eye-mide' in careful speech. Awareness of these phonetic cues helps you land a natural, accurate rendering.
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Polyamide derives from poly- meaning many, and amide, the functional group R-CO-NR'R''. The term labels polymers composed of repeating amide linkages. The concept emerged in the early 20th century with the development of synthetic polymers that could form long chains through condensation reactions. The first widely used polyamide was nylon, developed by Wallace Carothers and his team at DuPont in the 1930s, which catalyzed a polymer revolution in fibers and plastics. The word polyamide appeared in scientific literature as chemists described polymers containing multiple amide groups along the backbone, distinguishing them from esters and other linkages. Over time, polyamides have expanded to include various chain lengths, functionalities, and comonomers, yielding materials with diverse properties from high-strength fibers to heat-resistant engineering plastics. The term has since become a general class label across textiles, automotive, electronics, and industrial applications, with first attestations appearing in mid-20th century polymer chemistry texts and patent literature. Today, polyamide names are used in consumer products and industrial spec sheets, often accompanied by trade names like Nylon-6,6 or Nylon-6, to denote specific monomer compositions and processing methods.
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Words that rhyme with "Polyamide"
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