plasma

American  

[plaz-muh] / ˈplæz mə /

Also plasm

noun

1. Anatomy, Physiology.  the liquid part of blood or lymph, as distinguished from the suspended elements.

2. Cell Biology.  cytoplasm.

3. whey.

4. a green, faintly translucent chalcedony.

5. Physics.  a highly ionized gas containing an approximately equal number of positive ions and electrons.

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plasma British  

/ ˈplæzmə, plæzˈmætɪk /

noun

1. the clear yellowish fluid portion of blood or lymph in which the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended

2. short for blood plasma

3. a former name for protoplasm cytoplasm

4. physics

   1. a hot ionized material consisting of nuclei and electrons. It is sometimes regarded as a fourth state of matter and is the material present in the sun, most stars, and fusion reactors

   2. the ionized gas in an electric discharge or spark, containing positive ions and electrons and a small number of negative ions together with un-ionized material

5. a green slightly translucent variety of chalcedony, used as a gemstone

6. a less common term for whey

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plasma Scientific  

/ plăz′mə /

1. See blood plasma

2. Protoplasm or cytoplasm.

3. One of four main states of matter, similar to a gas, but consisting of positively charged ions with most or all of their detached electrons moving freely about. Plasmas are produced by very high temperatures, as in the Sun and other stars, and also by the ionization resulting from exposure to an electric current, as in a fluorescent light bulb or a neon sign.

4. See more at state of matter

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plasma ¹ Cultural  

1. The liquid part of blood or lymph. Blood plasma is mainly water; it also contains gas es, nutrients, and hormones. The red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are all suspended in the plasma of the blood.

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plasma ² Cultural  

1. A state of matter in which some or all of the electrons have been torn from their parent atoms. The negatively charged electrons and positively charged ions move independently.

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Discover More

Plasmas are usually associated with very high temperatures — most of the sun is a plasma, for example.

Other Word Forms

• plasmatic adjective
• plasmic adjective

Etymology

Origin of plasma

First recorded in 1705–15; from Late Latin, from Greek plásma “formed, molded (thing),” akin to plássein “to form, mold”; plastic

Example Sentences

Astronomers can confidently identify a star only because they understand stars as giant plasma spheres held together by gravity, generating energy through nuclear fusion.

From Science Daily

When it gets too exciting, stars can blast off violent storms, where they push hot, soup-like plasma into space.

From Space Scoop

Knowing how long Earth's plasma layer takes to recover from such disturbances is essential for predicting future space weather and for protecting the technology that relies on stable conditions in near-Earth space.

From Science Daily

FuZE-3 is also the first system from Zap to use a third electrode, which allows the mechanisms responsible for accelerating and compressing the plasma to be controlled independently.

From Science Daily

Hot, fast plasma is shown in blue, and cooler, slower gas is shown in red.Credit:

From Space Scoop

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