polywater

noun

poly·​wa·​ter ˈpä-lē-ˌwȯ-tər 

-ˌwä-

: a hypothetical form of water in which the molecules are linked into polymerlike chains

The pseudo-discovery of polywater is another example of a well-publicized event gone sour. … The revolutionary substance was eventually found to be water contaminated by all sorts of impurities, including probably the sweat and elbow grease of the hard-working scientists, and it was these contaminants that accounted for its unusual properties.

—Roger G. Newton

Word History

Etymology

polymeric water

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above