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

The new individual consists, from the start, of two sorts of plasm.

From The New Yorker

Although dismaying to some Lee fans, the belated publication of “Watchman,” an apprentice work containing the germ plasm of “Mockingbird,” cast light on the virtues and limitations of the author and her canonical novel.

From New York Times

This old plant stuff also became the germ plasm that Mr. Grant has tapped to breed and select new ornamentals.

From New York Times

Fourth, he keeps on describing Facebook as a “community” based on “friendship,” rather than what it is — a social utility that occasionally reveals itself as a seething plasm of technologically mediated dislocation.

From Salon

Some would-be architects of our future look toward a time when we will be able to alter the human germ plasm by design.

From The New Yorker

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?