piroplasm

noun

piro·​plasm ˈpir-ə-ˌpla-zəm How to pronounce piroplasm (audio)
variants or piroplasma
ˌpir-ə-ˈplaz-mə How to pronounce piroplasm (audio)
plural piroplasms or piroplasmata ˌpir-ə-ˈplaz-mə-tə How to pronounce piroplasm (audio)
: babesia

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Piroplasma, genus of piroplasms

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of piroplasm was in 1895

Rhymes for piroplasm

See All Rhymes for piroplasm

Browse Nearby Words

piroot
piroplasm
piroque
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Piroplasm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piroplasm. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Medical Definition

piroplasm

noun
piro·​plasm ˈpir-ə-ˌplaz-əm How to pronounce piroplasm (audio)
variants or piroplasma
ˌpir-ə-ˈplaz-mə How to pronounce piroplasm (audio)
plural piroplasms or piroplasmata ˌpir-ə-ˈplaz-mət-ə How to pronounce piroplasm (audio)
: babesia sense 2
piroplasmic
ˌpir-ə-ˈplaz-mik How to pronounce piroplasm (audio)
adjective
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Words in Disguise: Do these seem familiar?

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

'Blue Moon,' 'Wolf Moon,' and Other Moons to Look for Throughout the Year

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name that thing flower edition
Name That Flower Can you tell the difference between a lilac and a...
See All