latex
pronunciation
How to pronounce latex in British English:
UK [ˈleɪteks]
How to pronounce latex in American English:
US [ˈleˌtɛks]
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- Noun:
- a milky exudate from certain plants that coagulates on exposure to air
- a water-base paint having a latex binder
Word Origin
- latex (n.)
- 1660s, "body fluid," from Latin latex (genitive laticis) "liquid, fluid," probably from Greek latax "dregs," from PIE root *lat- "wet" (cognates: Middle Irish laith "beer," Welsh llaid "mud, mire," Lithuanian latakas "pool, puddle," Old Norse leþja "filth"). Used 1835 to mean "milky liquid from plants." Meaning "water-dispersed polymer particles" (used in rubber goods, paints, etc.) is from 1937. As an adjective by 1954, in place of clasically correct laticiferous.
Example
- 1. They 're made of polyurethane and not latex .
- 2. For the layer chair , he used a composition consisting of coconut fibers and natural latex .
- 3. Natural latex rubber is another option .
- 4. Condoms are usually made of latex , but some are made from polyurethane or lambskin .
- 5. The ceiling , made of a rubbery latex , is slightly angled and shifts from translucent white to opaque gray .