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protoplast

[ proh-tuh-plast ]
/ ˈproʊ təˌplæst /
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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.
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Origin of protoplast

1525–35; <Late Latin prōtoplastus the first man, noun use of Greek prōtóplastos formed first. See proto-, -plast

OTHER WORDS FROM protoplast

pro·to·plas·tic, adjective

Words nearby protoplast

protophilic, protophloem, protoplanet, protoplanetary disk, protoplasm, protoplast, protopodite, protopope, protoporphyrin, protopresbyter, Protosemitic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to protoplast

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

How to use protoplast in a sentence

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 forms of protoplast

protoplastic, 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
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