plasm-
variant of plasmo- before a vowel.
plasm-
1 American
-plasm
2
American
plasm
1
British
/ ˈplæzəm /
noun
-
protoplasm of a specified type
germ plasm
-
a variant of plasma
-plasm
2
British
combining form
Usage
What does -plasm mean? The combining form -plasm is used like a suffix meaning “living substance,” "tissue," "substance of a cell." It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology. The form -plasm comes from Greek plásma, meaning “something molded or formed.” Find out how plásma is related to plaster and plastic at our entries for both words. What are variants of -plasm?The form -plasm does not have any variants. However, it is related to the combining forms plasmo- and plasm-, as in plasmapheresis. Additional related forms include -plasia, -plasy, -plastic, and -plasty. To learn more, check out our Words That Use articles about these forms.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of -plasm
Combining form representing Greek plásma. See plasma
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This old plant stuff also became the germ plasm that Mr. Grant has tapped to breed and select new ornamentals.
From New York Times ● Mar. 4, 2018
Some would-be architects of our future look toward a time when we will be able to alter the human germ plasm by design.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 3, 2017
Huxley would later admit that he was wrong about the deep-sea muck, but many 19th-century biologists thought that plasm was the stuff of life.
From Slate ● Jul. 18, 2016
It holds more than 500,000 samples of crop germ plasm, providing a backup for the national and international seed banks that donated the material.
From Science Magazine ● May 15, 2015
Some would-be architects of our future look toward a time when it will be possible to alter the human germ plasm by design.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
