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protoplast

[ proh-tuh-plast ]
/ ˈproʊ təˌplæst /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR protoplast ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Biology.
  1. the contents of a cell within the cell membrane, considered as a fundamental entity.
  2. the primordial living unit or cell.
a person or thing that is formed first; original; prototype.
the hypothetical first individual or one of the supposed first pair of a species or the like.

RELATED WORDS

precursor, type, creation, novelty, father, forerunner, invention, exemplar, pattern, master, model, prototype, archetype, precedent, paradigm, coinage

Nearby words

  1. protophloem,
  2. protoplanet,
  3. protoplanetary disk,
  4. protoplasm,
  5. protoplasmic astrocyte,
  6. protopod,
  7. protopodite,
  8. protopope,
  9. protoporphyria,
  10. protoporphyrin

Origin of protoplast

1525–35; < Late Latin prōtoplastus the first man, noun use of Greek prōtóplastos formed first. See proto-, -plast
Related formspro·to·plas·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for protoplast

British Dictionary definitions for protoplast

protoplast

/ (ˈprəʊtəˌplæst) /

noun

a unit consisting of the living parts of a cell, including the protoplasm and cell membrane but not the vacuoles or (in plants) the cell wall
Derived Formsprotoplastic, adjective

Word Origin for protoplast

C16: from Late Latin prōtoplastus the first-formed, from Greek prōtoplastos, from proto- + plassein to shape
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

Medicine definitions for protoplast

protoplast

[ prō′tə-plăst′ ]

n.

The living material of a plant or bacterial cell, including the protoplasm and plasma membrane after the cell wall has been removed.
One that is the first made or formed; a prototype.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.