protoplasm: Meaning and Definition of

pro•to•plasm

Pronunciation: (prō'tu-plaz"um), [key]
— n.
  1. (no longer in technical use) the colloidal and liquid substance of which cells are formed, excluding horny, chitinous, and other structural material; the cytoplasm and nucleus.
  2. the living matter of organisms regarded as the physical basis of life, having the ability to sense and conduct stimuli.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: