Definition of: plasma

(plaz′mə) noun
1. The liquid portion of nutritive animal fluids, as blood, lymph, or intercellular fluid.
2. The clear, fluid portion of blood, freed from blood cells and used for transfusions.
3. The viscous material of a cell; protoplasm.
4. A green, translucent variety of chalcedony, used among the Romans as a gem.
5. Physics That region in a gas-discharge tube which is rendered nearly neutral by the presence of approximately equal numbers of positive ions and electrons. [<LL, a molded thing <Gk. plasma <plassein mold, form]
—plas·mat·ic (plaz·mat′ik), plas′mic adjective