plasm-

¹

1. variant of plasmo- before a vowel:

   plasmapheresis.

-plasm

²

1. a combining form with the meanings “living substance,” “tissue,” “substance of a cell,” used in the formation of compound words:

   endoplasm; neoplasm; cytoplasm.

plasm

¹

/ ˈplæzəm /

noun

1. protoplasm of a specified type

   germ plasm

2. a variant of plasma

-plasm

²

combining form

1. (in biology) indicating the material forming cells

   cytoplasm

   protoplasm

Derived Forms

• -plasmic, combining_form:in_adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plasm-¹

Combining form representing Greek plásma. See plasma

Word History and Origins

Origin of plasm-¹

from Greek plasma something moulded; see plasma

Example Sentences

Are acquired powers transmitted to posterity, or is the germ plasm unaffected by its environment?

From Project Gutenberg

It would seem that a stemonitis, for example, must owe the rise of the spore-plasm to the play of different machinery.

From Project Gutenberg

But this difference is easily explained by their difference in consistency, the crystal being solid and the plasm semi-fluid.

From Project Gutenberg

The "miracle of life" is in essence nothing but the metabolism of the living matter, or of the plasm.

From Project Gutenberg

In my opinion, this paradoxical theory of death has no more basis than the germ-plasm theory he has ingeniously connected with it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• beef
• fat
• meat
• muscle

Words That Use -plasm

What does -plasm mean?

The combining form –plasm is used like a suffix meaning “living substance,” “tissue,” “substance of a cell.” It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

The form –plasm comes from Greek plásma, meaning “something molded or formed.” Find out how plásma is related to plaster and plastic at our entries for both words.

What are variants of –plasm?

The form –plasm does not have any variants. However, it is related to the combining forms plasmo– and plasm–, as in plasmapheresis. Additional related forms include –plasia, –plasy, –plastic, and –plasty. To learn more, check out our Words That Use articles about these forms.

Examples of -plasm

One example of a term you may have encountered that features the form –plasm is cytoplasm, “the cell substance between the cell membrane and the nucleus.”

The form cyto– means “cell,” from Greek kýtos. As we have seen, –plasm means “tissue.” Cytoplasm literally translates to “cell tissue.”

What are some words that use the combining form –plasm?

• alloplasm
• deuteroplasm
• idioplasm
• myoplasm
• neuroplasm
• nucleoplasm
• phytoplasm

What are some other forms that –plasm may be commonly confused with?

• -plasia
• -plast

Break it down!

The combining form phyto– means “leaf.” With this in mind, what does phytoplasm literally mean?