plasm

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   biology, now rare: the living substance of a cell; protoplasm

   Early cell theory treated plasm as the basic living material of an organism.

2. 2
   noun

   formative or hereditary biological material, especially the material of germ cells in germ plasm

   The biologist argued that changes to body cells would not alter the germ plasm.

From Late Latin plasma and Greek plasma ("something molded or formed"), from plassein ("to mold"). Scientific uses were influenced by German Plasma and share their origin with English plasma.

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