protoplasm

[ proh-tuh-plaz-uhm ]

noun

1. Biology. (no longer in technical use) the colloidal and liquid substance of which cells are formed, excluding horny, chitinous, and other structural material; the cytoplasm and nucleus.
2. Obsolete. the living matter of organisms regarded as the physical basis of life, having the ability to sense and conduct stimuli.

protoplasm

/ ˈprəʊtəˌplæzəm /

noun

1. biology the living contents of a cell, differentiated into cytoplasm and nucleoplasm

protoplasm

/ prō′tə-plăz′əm /

1. The semifluid, translucent substance that forms the living matter in all plant and animal cells. Composed of proteins, fats, and other substances suspended in water, it includes the cytoplasm and (in eukaryotes) the nucleus.

protoplasm

1. The jellylike material in a cell , both inside and outside the nucleus , where the chemical reactions that support life take place.

Derived Forms

• ˌprotoˈplasmic, adjective

Other Words From

• proto·plasmic proto·plasmal pro·to·plas·mat·ic [proh-toh-plaz-, mat, -ik], adjective
• inter·proto·plasmic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of protoplasm¹

From the New Latin word prōtoplasma, dating back to 1840–50. See proto-, -plasm

Word History and Origins

Origin of protoplasm¹

C19: from New Latin, from proto- + Greek plasma form

Example Sentences

In the mid-1800s others, such as Darwin's supporter Thomas Henry Huxley, began to suspect that there was a generic form of “living matter”—often called protoplasm—from which the most primitive life-forms were fashioned.

From Scientific American

“We just got a good lesson in how to be effective without moving protoplasm around,” he said.

From New York Times

“The differences in life expectancy are structural racism revealed — just the baseline differences — because there’s no difference in our protoplasm,” she said.

From Washington Post

Ashley reprints, for example, “The Story of Yand Manor House,” in which Low encounters a mass of invisible protoplasm that smothers its victims.

From Washington Post

Professor Huxley has not proved, and it is impossible for him to prove, that these protoplasms may not have essential points of difference.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• beef
• fat
• meat
• muscle