cytoplasm

[ sahy-tuh-plaz-uhm ]

/ ˈsaɪ təˌplæz əm /

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noun Cell Biology.

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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cytoplasm

cy·to·plas·mic, adjectivecy·to·plas·mi·cal·ly, adverb

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

How to use cytoplasm in a sentence

Plant cells are armored with a stiff cell wall, so “my image of a plant cell was the cytoplasm sitting in a cage, and nobody goes anywhere,” Maliga said.
Plant Cells of Different Species Can Swap Organelles|Viviane Callier|January 20, 2021|Quanta Magazine
When a ligand binds to a receptor protein on a cell’s surface, it initiates a cascade of molecular changes and movements that convey a signal through the cytoplasm.
A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life|Viviane Callier|January 7, 2021|Quanta Magazine
If cells were sloshing bags of evenly mixed cytoplasm, that would be difficult to achieve.
A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life|Viviane Callier|January 7, 2021|Quanta Magazine
The FUS protein is normally found in the nucleus, but in stressed cells, the protein leaves the nucleus and goes into the cytoplasm, where it forms into droplets.
A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life|Viviane Callier|January 7, 2021|Quanta Magazine

Condensates, sometimes referred to as membraneless organelles, can sequester specific proteins from the rest of the cytoplasm, preventing unwanted biochemical reactions and greatly increasing the efficiency of useful ones.
A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life|Viviane Callier|January 7, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Meiosis in Rhynchonympha in one cytoplasmic and two nuclear divisions followed by autogamy.
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches|Louis M. Roth
Reorganization in the zygote of Barbulanympha without nuclear or cytoplasmic division.
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches|Louis M. Roth

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 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

[ 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.

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.