plasma

noun

plas·​ma ˈplaz-mə 

1

: a green faintly translucent quartz

2

[New Latin, from Late Latin]

a

: the fluid part of blood, lymph, or milk as distinguished from suspended material

especially : blood plasma

b

: the juice that can be expressed from muscle

3

: protoplasm

4

: a collection of charged particles (as in the atmospheres of stars or in a metal) containing about equal numbers of positive ions and electrons and exhibiting some properties of a gas but differing from a gas in being a good conductor of electricity and in being affected by a magnetic field

5

: a display (such as a television screen) consisting of discrete cells of plasma sandwiched between two layers of glass and electrodes such that each cell emits light when it receives an electric current

plasmatic

plaz-ˈma-tik 

adjective

Examples of plasma in a Sentence

the plasma that makes up a star

Our new TV is a 50-inch plasma.

Recent Examples on the Web

His loss is immeasurable to our community at the PSFC, NSE and MIT, and around the entire fusion and plasma research world. —CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025

Most experts agree that significant technical hurdles in plasma confinement, tritium fuel cycle management, and first-wall materials must be overcome before commercial fusion becomes reality. —Dave Smith, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025

Every time the sun unleashes a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a burst of magnetized plasma — toward Earth, the planet's tenuous upper atmosphere thickens. —Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 18 Dec. 2025

Loureiro’s past work spanned theory and computational modeling of nonlinear plasma dynamics, where his group used analytical tools and state-of-the art simulations to study magnetic reconnection, turbulence and related instabilities. —Alexandra Koch , Greg Wehner , Molly Line, FOXNews.com, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

German, from Late Latin, something molded, from Greek, from plassein to mold — more at plaster

First Known Use

1517, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing plasma

• blood plasma
• convalescent plasma
• plasma cell
• plasma jet
• plasma membrane
• plasma torch

Rhymes for plasma

• asthma
• chiasma
• miasma
• histoplasma
• mycoplasma
• toxoplasma

Kids Definition

plasma

noun

plas·​ma ˈplaz-mə 

1

: the watery part of blood, lymph, or milk

2

: a collection of charged particles that shows some characteristics of a gas but that differs from a gas in being a good conductor of electricity and in being affected by a magnetic field

Medical Definition

plasma

noun

plas·​ma ˈplaz-mə 

1

a

: the fluid part especially of blood, lymph, or milk that is distinguished from suspended material see blood plasma

b

: the juice that can be expressed from muscle

2

: protoplasm

3

: a mixture of starch and gel used as an ointment base