plastid

American  

[plas-tid] / ˈplæs tɪd /

noun

Cell Biology.

1. a small, double-membraned organelle of plant cells and certain protists, occurring in several varieties, as the chloroplast, and containing ribosomes, prokaryotic DNA, and, often, pigment.

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plastid British  

/ ˈplæstɪd /

noun

1. any of various small particles in the cytoplasm of the cells of plants and some animals that contain pigments, starch, oil, protein, etc See chromoplast

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plastid Scientific  

/ plăs′tĭd /

1. An organelle found in the cells of plants, green algae, red algae, and certain other protists. Like mitochondria, plastids have an inner and outer membrane, and contain their own DNA and ribosomes. Some plastids, such as the chloroplasts in plant leaves, contain pigments.

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Etymology

Origin of plastid

1875–80; < German Plastide < Greek plastid-, stem of plástis, feminine derivative of plástēs modeler, creator, derivative of plássein to form

Example Sentences

Unlike the plastid DNA often used to study plants, which is produced by structures called chloroplasts, the DNA from plant nuclei is especially useful for scientists trying to tease apart historical interactions between species.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2024

Clearest differentiation was found in the plastid network, with four distinct haplotype groups each separated from each other by at least 20 substitutions.

From Nature • Dec. 25, 2016

The plastid genome was assembled separately into one circular contig of 155,498 bp, including an inverted repeat region of approximately 25,700 bp.

From Nature • Dec. 25, 2016

The genes encoding the ribosomal RNA from the small 18S subunit and plastid genes are frequently chosen for DNA alignment analysis.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

As a contrast to it, and as an instance of a very highly differentiated plastid, we may consider for a moment a large nerve-cell, or ganglionic cell, from the brain.

From The Evolution of Man — Volume 1 by Haeckel, Ernst Heinrich Philipp August