Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "protoplasm" [pro•to•plasm]

  • The complex, semifluid, translucent substance that constitutes the living matter of plant and animal cells and manifests the essential life functions of a cell. Composed of proteins, fats, and other molecules suspended in water, it includes the nucleus and cytoplasm. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "protoplasm" in a sentence
  • "The term protoplasm is still in use with different meanings as used by different writers."
  • "From this time forth this term protoplasm was applied to the living material found in all cells, and became at once the most important factor in the discussion of biological problems."
  • "This common base is the physical and chemical character of the mixture of substances which we call protoplasm ...."