protoplasm

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From German Protoplasma, coined by Czech physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně, from Ancient Greek πρῶτος (prôtos, first) + πλάσμα (plásma, something molded). The word Protoplasmus was used in Late Latin, meaning “first created human” (i.e. Adam), and may have existed in Byzantine Greek in a different sense.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (file)

Noun[edit]

protoplasm (countable and uncountable, plural protoplasms)

  1. (cytology) The entire contents of a cell comprising the nucleus and the cytoplasm. It is a semi-fluid, transparent substance which is the living matter of plant and animal cells.

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