plasma

American  

[plaz-muh] / ˈplæz mə /

Also plasm

noun

• plasmas
  plural

1. Anatomy, Physiology. the liquid part of blood or lymph, as distinguished from the suspended elements.

2. Cell Biology. cytoplasm.

3. whey.

4. a green, faintly translucent chalcedony.

5. Physics. a highly ionized gas containing an approximately equal number of positive ions and electrons.

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plasma British  

/ ˈplæzmə /

noun

1. the clear yellowish fluid portion of blood or lymph in which the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended

2. short for blood plasma

3. a former name for protoplasm cytoplasm

4. physics

   1. a hot ionized material consisting of nuclei and electrons. It is sometimes regarded as a fourth state of matter and is the material present in the sun, most stars, and fusion reactors

   2. the ionized gas in an electric discharge or spark, containing positive ions and electrons and a small number of negative ions together with un-ionized material

5. a green slightly translucent variety of chalcedony, used as a gemstone

6. a less common term for whey

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plasma Scientific  

/ plăz′mə /

1. See blood plasma

2. Protoplasm or cytoplasm.

3. One of four main states of matter, similar to a gas, but consisting of positively charged ions with most or all of their detached electrons moving freely about. Plasmas are produced by very high temperatures, as in the Sun and other stars, and also by the ionization resulting from exposure to an electric current, as in a fluorescent light bulb or a neon sign.

4. See more at state of matter

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plasma ¹ Cultural  

1. The liquid part of blood or lymph. Blood plasma is mainly water; it also contains gas es, nutrients, and hormones. The red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are all suspended in the plasma of the blood.

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plasma ² Cultural  

1. A state of matter in which some or all of the electrons have been torn from their parent atoms. The negatively charged electrons and positively charged ions move independently.

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Discover More

Plasmas are usually associated with very high temperatures — most of the sun is a plasma, for example.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plasmatic
  adjective
• plasmic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plasmas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of plasma

First recorded in 1705–15; from Late Latin, from Greek plásma “formed, molded (thing),” akin to plássein “to form, mold”; see plastic

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Explanation

Plasma is the colorless liquid part of blood. Plasma holds blood cells but is not made from them. Plasma, a crucial part of blood, can be donated for use in medical procedures, either from plasma donation or as part of a regular blood donation. Another meaning of plasma is in physical chemistry — a state of matter (in fact the most common state of matter) made from a gas that has lost its electrons from heat. This is where those big-screen plasma televisions get their name from.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plasma plasmas

By carefully controlling the laser's power and beam diameter, the researchers can ionize a narrow region of air, stripping electrons from atoms and molecules to produce plasma.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026

They have shown that a laser can generate a plasma filament that functions as a transmitting antenna, establishing a foundation for future improvements.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026

This arrangement allows the researchers to transfer energy to the plasma without physically touching it.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026

When a radio frequency generator sends a signal into the capacitor, the resulting electromagnetic field interacts with the plasma filament.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026

I was still fuzzy on why nuking grapes could cause a plasma ball.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Machine learning has already shown considerable potential for controlling fusion plasmas.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

To avoid creating and managing radioactive waste, TAE wants to use a fuel that requires far hotter plasmas than other fusion companies aim for, posing a bigger physics challenge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026

This finding challenges decades of assumptions about how tokamak plasmas behave at high density.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 4, 2026

The National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory creates such plasmas by directing 192 powerful laser beams onto hydrogen-containing targets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

Even though natural plasmas are rare on Earth—other than lightning or the northern lights—man-made plasmas are everywhere.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

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