Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

protoplasm

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.85 in modern English

Syllables
pro-to-plasm
IPA
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The entire contents of a cell comprising the nucleus and the cytoplasm. It is a semi-fluid, transparent substance which is the living matter of plant and animal cells.

Countable; Uncountable

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).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

protoplasms (plural)

Derived Forms

protoplasmal protoplasmatic protoplasmic

Synonyms

living substance

Questions

What does protoplasm mean?
The entire contents of a cell comprising the nucleus and the cytoplasm. It is a semi-fluid, transparent substance which is the living matter of plant and animal cells.
Where does protoplasm come from?
It is traced to German.

How to pronounce protoplasm

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “protoplasm”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “protoplasm”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “protoplasm” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.