The word is a modern compound adjective formed from a trademark and a common verb. 'Teflon' was coined in the mid-20th century by the Chemours company as a brand name for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a slick, heat-resistant polymer. The verb 'coat', with Germanic origins meaning to cover or clothe, is used in its past participle form '-ed' to create an adjective describing an object that has been covered with this specific substance. The informal political sense emerged in the 1980s, metaphorically extending the material's non-stick property to describe a public figure from whom scandal or criticism seems to slide away without consequence, thus linking a physical property to a social phenomenon.

Structure: Teflon (brand name) + coat (cover) + ed (adjective suffix) - Teflon: A proprietary name (brand/trademark), derived from its chemical components tetrafluoroethylene. Its role is to specify the material. - coat: From Old French 'cote', ultimately from a Germanic source. Its role is the core meaning of covering or applying a layer. - ed: A suffix from Old English '-ed', '-od', '-ad'. Its role is to form a participial adjective meaning "having been provided with".