* Poly-: From Greek "polys", meaning "many" or "much". This refers to the polymer nature of the material, meaning it's composed of many repeating units.
* Tetra-: From Greek "tetra", meaning "four". This indicates the presence of four fluorine atoms in each repeating unit.
* Fluoro-: From Latin "fluo", meaning "flow". This refers to the presence of fluorine, a highly electronegative element.
* -ethylene: From the hydrocarbon ethylene (C2H4), indicating a two-carbon backbone in the molecule.
Therefore, the name "polytetrafluoroethylene" literally means "many repeating units, each containing four fluorine atoms attached to a two-carbon backbone".
It's worth noting that the material is commonly referred to by its trade name, Teflon. This name was coined by the DuPont company, which first developed and patented the material.