Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A cell of a plant, fungus, bacterium, or archaeon from which the cell wall has been removed, leaving the protoplasm and plasma membrane.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun That which or one who is first formed; the original, type, or model of some organic being; especially, the hypothetical first individual or one of the supposed first pair of the human race; a protoparent.
  • noun A protozoan: a simple unicellular organism; specifically, a member of the Protoplasta.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The thing first formed; that of which there are subsequent copies or reproductions; the original.
  • noun (Biol.) A first-formed organized body; the first individual, or pair of individuals, of a species.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a biological unit consisting of a nucleus and the body of cytoplasm with which it interacts

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French protoplaste, from Old French, the first man, from Late Latin prōtoplastus, from Greek prōtoplastos : prōto-, proto- + plastos, formed, molded; see –plast.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French prothoplaste, and its source Late Latin protoplastus, from Hellenistic Ancient Greek πρωτόπλαστος ("first-formed"), from Ancient Greek πρωτο- + πλαστός ("formed, moulded").

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Examples

  • The death has occurred of Adam, protoplast, progenitor, park-keeper and agriculturalist.

    It is interesting that Sir George Young took the opportunity... 2008

  • In sum, technologies such as tissue culture, anther culture, embryo rescue, protoplast fusion, and genetic markers are likely to bring undreamed of breakthroughs that will transform Africa's native grains.

    13. Other Cultivated Grains 1996

  • Several teams have managed to regenerate fertile rice plants from protoplast-cells from which the wall has been removed.

    1. African Rice 1996

  • Since the recombinant DNA is a naked DNA molecule, gene transfer systems based on protoplast transformation and electroporation are most applicable in genetic engineering experiments.

    1 Upgrading Traditional Biotechnological Processes 1992

  • Cell and protoplast culture are new developments for an efficient screening system for mutations.

    1. Household gardening projects in asia: past experience and future directions 1992

  • As a matter of fact, Planning Center preferred people in my condition; protoplast limbs were more durable than the real -- no, let us say the original -- thing.

    Man Made Albert Teichner

  • Fortunately the time was already past when protoplast patients were looked upon as something mildly freakish and to be pitied.

    Man Made Albert Teichner

  • The rest of my body stood up well to this assault but every few seconds I had the eerie sensation that I was back in my old body, a ghostly superimposition on the living protoplast, as the spinal chord projected its agony outward.

    Man Made Albert Teichner

  • He furrowed his protoplast brow that looked as youthful as it had a century ago.

    Man Made Albert Teichner

  • I came out of the chamber all protoplast except for the spinal zone.

    Man Made Albert Teichner

Comments

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  • Original ancestor; first-formed person or thing. (from Phrontistery)

    May 25, 2008