plasmodium

[ plaz-moh-dee-uhm ]
See synonyms for plasmodium on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural plas·mo·di·a [plaz-moh-dee-uh]. /plæzˈmoʊ di ə/.
  1. Biology. an ameboid, multinucleate mass or sheet of cytoplasm characteristic of some stages of organisms, as of myxomycetes or slime molds.

  2. any parasitic protozoan of the genus Plasmodium, causing malaria in humans.

Origin of plasmodium

1
From New Latin, dating back to 1870–75; see origin at plasm-, -ode1, -ium

Other words from plasmodium

  • plas·mo·di·al, adjective

Words Nearby plasmodium

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How to use plasmodium in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for plasmodium

plasmodium

/ (plæzˈməʊdɪəm) /


nounplural -dia (-dɪə)
  1. an amoeboid mass of protoplasm, containing many nuclei: a stage in the life cycle of certain organisms, esp the nonreproductive stage of the slime moulds

  2. any parasitic sporozoan protozoan of the genus Plasmodium, such as P. falciparum and P. vivax, which cause malaria

Origin of plasmodium

1
C19: New Latin; see plasma, -ode 1

Derived forms of plasmodium

  • plasmodial, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for plasmodium

plasmodium

[ plăz-mōdē-əm ]


Plural plasmodia
  1. A mass of protoplasm having many cell nuclei but not divided into separate cells. It is formed by the combination of many amoeba-like cells and is characteristic of the active, feeding phase of certain slime molds.

  2. Any of various single-celled organisms (called protozoans) that exist as parasites in vertebrate animals, one of which causes malaria.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.