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metaplasm

American  
[met-uh-plaz-uhm] / ˈmɛt əˌplæz əm /

noun

  1. Cell Biology. the nonliving matter or inclusions, as starch or pigments, within a cell.

  2. Grammar.

    1. a change in the structure of a word or sentence made by adding, removing, or transposing the sounds or words of which it is composed or the letters that represent them.

    2. the formation of oblique cases from a stem other than that of the nominative.


metaplasm British  
/ ˈmɛtəˌplæzəm /

noun

  1. the nonliving constituents, such as starch and pigment granules, of the cytoplasm of a cell

"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

Other Word Forms

  • metaplasmic adjective

Etymology

Origin of metaplasm

1375–1425; late Middle English metaplasmus “grammatical change, irregularity” < Latin < Greek metaplasmós “reforming, remodeling,” derivative of metaplássein “to mold differently, remodel.” See meta-, -plasm

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 pupil went through all the routine of metaplasm, schematism, and figures of speech; but this was only the groundwork.

From Project Gutenberg

We find in it the datives ἀγώνοις, ἐντυγχανόντοις, and therefore the same metaplasm of declination as among the Ætolians, to whom the grammarians attribute such forms as γερόντοις, παθημάτοις.

From Project Gutenberg

Metaplasm: secondary or differentiated plasm.

From Project Gutenberg

Metaplasm: secondary or differentiated plasm.

From Project Gutenberg