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
Derived forms
plasmodial (plasˈmodial)
adjective
Word origin
C19: New Latin; see plasma, -ode1
plasmodium in American English
(plæzˈmoʊdiəm)
nounWord forms: pluralplasˈmodia (plæzˈmoʊdiə)
1.
a shapeless mass of protoplasm with many nuclei and no definite size, esp. the vegetative stage of a myxomycete
2.
any of a genus (Plasmodium) of unicellular sporozoans found in red blood corpuscles, including the parasites that cause malaria