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Foam vs Styrofoam - What's the difference?

foam | styrofoam |

As nouns the difference between foam and styrofoam

is that foam is a substance composed of a large collection of bubbles or their solidified remains while styrofoam is expanded polystyrene foam, such as is used in cups and packaging.

As a verb foam

is to form or emit foam.

foam

English

Noun

  • A substance composed of a large collection of bubbles or their solidified remains.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= Charles T. Ambrose
    • , title= Alzheimer’s Disease , volume=101, issue=3, page=200, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam , a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads.}}
  • (by extension) Sea foam; (figuratively) the sea.

    • Derived terms

    * foamy

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To form or emit foam.
  • * Bible, Mark ix. 18
    • He foameth , and gnasheth with his teeth.
  • * 1877 , (Anna Sewell), (Black Beauty) Chapter 23[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Black_Beauty/23]
    • What I suffered with that rein for four long months in my lady's carriage, it would be hard to describe, but I am quite sure that, had it lasted much longer, either my health or my temper would have given way. Before that, I never knew what it was to foam at the mouth, but now the action of the sharp bit on my tongue and jaw, and the constrained position of my head and throat, always caused me to froth at the mouth more or less.

    styrofoam

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • Expanded polystyrene foam, such as is used in cups and packaging.
  • * {{quote-news, year=1988, date=November 4, author=Cecil Adams, title=The Straight Dope, work=Chicago Reader citation
    • , passage=A while ago I read your column concerning the effects of hot tea on styrofoam cups.}}
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author=Kevin Heng
    • , title= Why Does Nature Form Exoplanets Easily , volume=101, issue=3, page=184, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=In the past two years, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has located nearly 3,000 exoplanet candidates ranging from sub-Earth-sized minions to gas giants that dwarf our own Jupiter. Their densities range from that of styrofoam to iron.}}

    See also

    * (wikipedia "styrofoam")