The terms polymer and monomer were derived from the Greek roots poly (many), mono (one) and meros (part). For his contributions to chemistry, Staudinger received the 1953 Nobel Prize. He formulated a polymeric structure for rubber, based on a repeating isoprene unit (referred to as a monomer). In contrast to the prevailing rationalization of these substances as aggregates of small molecules, Staudinger proposed they were made up of macromolecules composed of 10,000 or more atoms. This limiting view was challenged by Hermann Staudinger, a German chemist with experience in studying natural compounds such as rubber and cellulose.

Prior to the early 1920's, chemists doubted the existence of molecules having molecular weights greater than a few thousand.