Synthetic

How to spell synthetic

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce synthetic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does synthetic mean?

1. adjectiveMade artificially by chemical processes rather than occurring naturally; man-made in imitation of a natural product.
2. nounA material or chemical produced by synthesis rather than obtained from nature, such as an artificial fibre.

Synthetic in a sentence

• adjective

  The jacket was lined with a cheap synthetic fabric that did not breathe.

• noun

  The carpet was woven from a durable synthetic rather than wool.

• adjective

  Many household cleaners rely on synthetic fragrances rather than real flowers.

• noun

  The racing team switched to a high-performance synthetic for the engine oil.

Where does synthetic come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek synthetikos, meaning 'skilled in putting things together', which was built on syntithenai, 'to place together', from syn- 'together' and tithenai 'to put or place'. The same tithenai root sits behind 'thesis' and 'theme', which is a useful reminder that the central letters are 'th'. English adopted it in the late 1600s, partly through the Latin syntheticus and the parallel French synthetique, at first as a term in logic and philosophy for combining ideas into a whole. The chemical meaning, describing a substance made by building it up artificially rather than taking it from nature, grew during the 1800s as laboratory chemistry advanced. From there it broadened into the everyday adjective for anything man-made or imitation, while the spelling kept its Greek 'y' after the initial 's'.

How the word is built

• syn- (together)
• thet (from Greek tithenai: to place, put)
• -ic (adjective suffix)