Plastica

Plastica is a term found in several Romance languages and in medical vocabulary, where it is linked to the concept of molding or shaping. Its etymology traces to the Greek plastikos, meaning able to be molded, through Latin and modern Romance languages.

In Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, plastica (often with accent marks appropriate to the language) commonly denotes plastic as a material, as well as the plastic arts—forms of art concerned with shaping and modeling. In these languages the term also appears in medical contexts as part of compound terms, such as plastic surgery in Portuguese “cirurgia plástica” or Spanish “cirugía plástica.” When used alone, plastica in these languages typically points to the plastic arts rather than to a surgical procedure; the surgical sense is captured by the full compound phrases.

In Italian, the phrase arte plastica refers to the plastic arts, and plastica can indicate the material plastic. In Spanish and Portuguese, la plástica or a plástica likewise covers the plastic arts and, in medical discourse, the surgical discipline of plastic surgery. English usage generally does not employ plastica as a stand-alone term; instead, it uses plastic or plastics, with the medical and technical senses conveyed through -plasty derivatives (such as rhinoplasty) or the broader term plastic surgery.

Contemporary discussion of plastica often focuses on the material itself—polymers and their environmental impact—along with related concepts such as recycling and bioplastics. The word also underpins the linguistic roots of terms in science and medicine that describe reshaping or reconstructive procedures.

See also: Plastic, Plastics, Plastic arts, Plastic surgery, Plastics recycling.