protoplasm

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun the substance of a living cell (including cytoplasm and nucleus)

Etymology

From German Protoplasma, coined by Czech physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně, from Ancient Greek πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”) + πλάσμα (plásma, “something molded”). By surface analysis, proto- + -plasm. Compare also protoplasma, used in Late Latin for the “first-created one” (i.e. Adam).

In classic literature

Synonyms

living substance

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