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
Derived 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
Though a little bit of ectoplasm would have been appreciated.”
From The New Yorker • Sep. 30, 2019
It glows from within, pulses gently and sometimes releases tentacles of dripping, green ectoplasm.
From Washington Post • Mar. 20, 2019
Helen Duncan was found to swallow a length of cheesecloth, which she could produce dramatically from her mouth as ectoplasm.
From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2019
"The luminous gauze, for instance, that passes for ectoplasm; the various methods of table-lifting; control of the Ouija board—things like that?"
From Supermind by Janifer, Laurence M.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
