cytoplasm

[ sahy-tuh-plaz-uh m ]

/ ˈsaɪ təˌplæz əm /

noun Cell Biology.

the cell substance between the cell membrane and the nucleus, containing the cytosol, organelles, cytoskeleton, and various particles.

Nearby words

Origin of cytoplasm

First recorded in 1870–75; cyto- + -plasm

Related formscy·to·plas·mic, adjectivecy·to·plas·mi·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cytoplasm

The cytoplasm is uncolored, but may contain some brilliant granules.
Marine Protozoa from Woods Hole|Gary N. Calkins
The nucleus of each spore next divides, again directly, and this is followed by the division of the cytoplasm.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5|Various
The cytoplasm contains granules of BaSO4 and pellets of faecal matter.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 6|Various
The nuclear membrane then disappears and fibrillar cell-plasma or cytoplasm invades the nuclear area.
Darwin and Modern Science|A.C. Seward and Others

Throughout the Cytoplasm is a mesh containing numerous minute granules called Microsomes.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation|Austin O'Malley

British Dictionary definitions for cytoplasm

cytoplasm

/ (ˈsaɪtəʊˌplæzəm) /

noun

the protoplasm of a cell contained within the cell membrane but excluding the nucleus: contains organelles, vesicles, and other inclusions

Derived Formscytoplasmic, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cytoplasm

cytoplasm

1874, from cyto- + -plasm.

Medicine definitions for cytoplasm

cytoplasm

[ sī′tə-plăz′əm ]

n.

The protoplasm outside a cell nucleus.

Related formscy′to•plas′mic (-plăz′mĭk) adj.

Science definitions for cytoplasm

cytoplasm

[ sī′tə-plăz′əm ]

The jellylike material that makes up much of a cell inside the cell membrane, and, in eukaryotic cells, surrounds the nucleus. The organelles of eukaryotic cells, such as mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum, and (in green plants) chloroplasts, are contained in the cytoplasm. The cytoplasm and the nucleus make up the cell's protoplasm. See more at cell.

Culture definitions for cytoplasm

cytoplasm

[ (seye-tuh-plaz-uhm) ]

The material within a biological cell that is not contained in the nucleus or other organelles.