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Glite Dictionary
protoplast

protoplast

9.9
The parts inside a cell, like the nucleus and the liquid around it, seen as one unit
  • noun
  • /ˈproʊtəˌplæst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : protoplasto

Examples

  • Plant tissues must be converted into protoplasts before FACS analysis, in order to provide cell suspensions.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Researchers extracted the protoplast from the plant cells to study their growth and development.

  • The protoplast contains essential components, such as the nucleus and cytoplasm, necessary for cell function.

  • In experiments, scientists observed how the protoplast responded to various stimuli in its environment.

Synonyms

protoplasm
vsprotoplast
  • Archaic
5 7.8

The living material inside a cell that includes its nucleus and the fluid around it

focuses on the contents as a defined unit rather than general living substance
energid
vsprotoplast
  • Specialized
9.9

A part of a single cell made of a nucleus and the surrounding fluid that work together

treats them as the cell contents rather than a functional unit

Surface Forms

protoplast singular
protoplasts plural

Morphology

protoplast = proto + plast

The term is historically built from Greek proto- plus plast-, but this scientific meaning is not readily recoverable for an average B1 learner from the component parts.

Etymology

Protoplast comes from the roots proto- meaning 'first' and -plast meaning 'formed' or 'molded', the same idea you see in plastic ('formed') and prototype ('first form'). So a protoplast is the cell's 'first formed' part, the living contents like the nucleus and the cytoplasm around it when the cell wall is removed.