BharatNotes Microplastics
noun (usually plural; the singular "microplastic" also functions attributively as a modifier, e.g. "microplastic pollution")Usage in a UPSC answer
India's accession to the global plastics treaty negotiations will ring hollow unless domestic regulation moves beyond visible litter to confront microplastics, which now permeate the food chain, drinking water and even human placental tissue, demanding an integrated response spanning environmental governance, public health policy and extended producer responsibility.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
microplastic (n/adj), microplastics (n pl), plastic (n/adj), microplastic pollution (n phrase), nanoplastics (n)
Root
Greek mikros (μικρός) = small; micro- prefix; Greek plastikos = capable of being moulded
Etymology
From Greek mikros (μικρός, "small") + English plastics (from Greek plastikos, "capable of being moulded"); the term gained scientific and public attention in the early 2000s when marine researchers documented the ubiquity of microscopic plastic fragments in ocean samples, leading to growing concern about their ecological and human health impacts.
Memory Hook
"Micro" (tiny) + "plastic" — picture plastic ground so small it slips through every filter, into the fish, into your water. "Micro = too small to see, too widespread to escape."
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2022 — Pollution
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Microplastics” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
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