protoplasm
Americannoun
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Biology. (no longer in technical use) the colloidal and liquid substance of which cells are formed, excluding horny, chitinous, and other structural material; the cytoplasm and nucleus.
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Obsolete. the living matter of organisms regarded as the physical basis of life, having the ability to sense and conduct stimuli.
noun
Other Word Forms
- interprotoplasmic adjective
- protoplasmal adjective
- protoplasmatic adjective
- protoplasmic adjective
Etymology
Origin of protoplasm
From the New Latin word prōtoplasma, dating back to 1840–50. See proto-, -plasm
Compare meaning
How does protoplasm compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Protoplasm is the gooey stuff that living cells are made of. A cell's protoplasm is colorless and surrounded by a plasma membrane. Sometimes people use protoplasm to mean “formless blob of life.” There are many elements that make up the protoplasm of a cell, including the nucleus, amino acids, lipids, and ions. Scientists generally use the word protoplasm to mean the cytoplasm plus the nucleus. It was coined in the 1840s by a German scientist, from the Greek roots proto, "first," and plasma, "something molded or formed."
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.
From there it wasn’t such a leap to guess that protoplasm might, in certain extraordinary moments, coalesce and be projected from the body.
From Slate • Jul. 18, 2016
Intensities this great can damage individual cells, variously causing their protoplasm to stream inside them, altering their permeability, or rupturing their walls through cavitation.
From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015
With Smith on hand, the middle-aged Brando was transformed into the jowly patriarch Vito Corleone, the teenage Blair into a scarred and wild-eyed demon, and William Hurt into a mass of protoplasm for "Altered States."
From US News • Jul. 31, 2014
With Smith on hand, the middle-aged Brando was transformed into the jowly patriarch Vito Corleone, the teenage Blair into a scarred and wild-eyed demon, and William Hurt into a mass of protoplasm for “Altered States.”
From Washington Times • Jul. 31, 2014
She probably thinks I'm turning myself into a gob of protoplasm or something.
From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements
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.
