plasm
UK[ˈplæzəm]US[ˈplæzəm]
n
The living substance of a cell (such as cytoplasm or protoplasm).
n
The fluid part of blood or lymph, as distinguished from suspended material.
n
A formative substance; a moldable material.
Etymology
The word 'plasm' originates from the Late Latin 'plasma', meaning 'mold' or 'form', which itself was borrowed from the Greek 'plásma', meaning 'something molded or formed'. This Greek term derives from the verb 'plássein', 'to mold or shape', a root with deep Proto-Indo-European ancestry, likely from pelə- ('to fill'). The semantic journey is elegantly logical: from the general concept of a moldable substance, the term was adopted into biological sciences in the 19th century to denote the formative, living material of a cell (protoplasm) and the fluid matrix of blood (blood plasma), both seen as fundamental, shape-giving substrates.
Analysis
The word 'plasm' is a simplex form derived from a Greek root. It does not contain separable, meaningful morphemes within its modern English spelling.
Examples
The cytoplasm is the living plasm contained within the cell membrane.
Blood plasm is separated from the cellular components by centrifugation.
The artist viewed the clay as a raw plasm, ready to be given form.