cytoplasm

[ sahy-tuh-plaz-uhm ]

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

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Origin of cytoplasm

1
First recorded in 1870–75; cyto- + -plasm

Other words from cytoplasm

  • cy·to·plas·mic, adjective
  • cy·to·plas·mi·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby cytoplasm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cytoplasm in a sentence

  • Malarial parasites stain characteristically: the cytoplasm, sky-blue; the chromatin, reddish-purple.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
  • The cytoplasm is relatively abundant, and contains great numbers of very fine neutrophilic granules.

    A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for cytoplasm

cytoplasm

/ (ˈsaɪtəʊˌplæzəm) /


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

Derived forms of cytoplasm

  • cytoplasmic, 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

Scientific definitions for cytoplasm

cytoplasm

[ tə-plăz′əm ]


  1. 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.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for cytoplasm

cytoplasm

[ (seye-tuh-plaz-uhm) ]


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

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.