ectoplasm
Americannoun
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Biology. the outer portion of the cytoplasm of a cell.
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Spiritualism. the supposed emanation from the body of a medium.
noun
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cytology the outer layer of cytoplasm in some cells, esp protozoa, which differs from the inner cytoplasm in being a clear gel See also endoplasm
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spiritualism the substance supposedly emanating from the body of a medium during trances
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ectoplasm
Explanation
Ectoplasm is the very thin, watery outer layer of a cell. Biologists use the word ectoplasm primarily to talk about amoebas. Ectoplasm and endoplasm, or "dense inner section," are found in the tiny cells known as amoebas. An amoeba's movements are a result of the way these inner and outer layers fit together. A much less scientific meaning of ectoplasm is "visible spiritual energy." 19th- and early 20th-century spiritualists claimed that a gauzy ectoplasm formed during trance states, a visual connection between living and spirit worlds. This ectoplasm was often proven to be made of cheesecloth.
Vocabulary lists containing ectoplasm
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 6
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Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 1
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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.
The character of France is like a filmic ectoplasm of us and who we are, and it is in that world of the film of us that is artificial and natural.
From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2021
The novel’s ectoplasm hovers between the realms of historical horror and cultural comedy.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 8, 2021
He suggested that one actor, Emily Cass McDonnell, pull a tissue out of her mouth against a background of red light, as if it were ectoplasm.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 15, 2019
There are no whooshing camera movements, no cheap shocks, no sudden bursts of computer-generated ectoplasm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2018
"The luminous gauze, for instance, that passes for ectoplasm; the various methods of table-lifting; control of the ouija board—things like that?"
From Occasion for Disaster by Randall Garrett
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