plasma

IPA/ˈplæzmə/
KK[plˈæzmə]IPA/ˈplæzmə/

plasma — noun

1. the yellow fluid in blood that carries blood cells, proteins, and other substanc

1.nounC1
Definition

the yellow fluid in blood that carries blood cells, proteins, and other substances.

Example

Doctors gave Nina donated plasma after the crash caused heavy bleeding.

donated plasma in hospital treatment

The lab separated plasma from Ken's blood sample before testing it.

pattern: separate plasma from blood

Common collocations
  • donate plasma
  • fresh plasma
  • plasma proteins
  • plasma sample
  • plasma transfusion
Synonyms
  • blood plasma

    the full technical name, especially useful when another scientific sense of 'plasma' might cause confusion

  • serum

    a similar lab liquid, but not the same because serum does not contain all the proteins found in plasma

Grammar Patterns

donate plasma

separate plasma from blood

plasma in a blood sample

fresh plasma

Usage Note

Usually uncountable. In medical English it often follows verbs such as 'donate', 'separate', and 'transfuse', and it is contrasted with blood cells or whole blood. Distinguish it from sense 2, the physics term.

Common Mistakes

I donated a plasma yesterday.
I donated plasma yesterday.
this sense is usually uncountable unless another noun follows, such as 'a bag of plasma'.
The doctor checked the plasma cells in my report.
The doctor checked the plasma in my blood sample.
'plasma' is the liquid part of blood, while 'plasma cells' are a different medical term.

2. a state of matter in which very hot atoms become charged and move freely.

2.nounC2
Definition

a state of matter in which very hot atoms become charged and move freely.

Example

Inside the neon sign, plasma glowed pink above the noodle shop.

plasma in a neon sign

Scientists study plasma from the sun to predict dangerous storms.

plasma from the sun

Common collocations
  • create plasma
  • plasma from the sun
  • plasma in a neon sign
  • plasma state
  • turn into plasma
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

turn into plasma

create plasma

plasma from the sun

plasma in a neon sign

Usage Note

Common in physics and astronomy. It often appears after verbs such as 'form', 'create', 'heat into', and 'study', especially with stars, lightning, neon lights, and fusion reactors. Distinguish it from sense 1, the liquid part of blood.

Common Mistakes

The balloon was full of plasma.
The balloon was full of gas.
ordinary balloon gas is not plasma because it is not in a highly charged state.
The room was heated with plasma from the stove.
The room was heated with gas from the stove.
household stove gas is not called plasma in normal science use.

Word family

  • plasmic
    adjectiveC2
  • plasmatic
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Plasma' in medicine means the liquid part of blood, so it is not the same as 'whole blood', which includes red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. 'Serum' is close, but it is the liquid left after blood has clotted, so it lacks some proteins that plasma still has. 'Red blood cells' carry oxygen, and 'platelets' help stop bleeding. Those are suspended in plasma, so they are parts of blood rather than other names for plasma. In a hospital, a doctor may order plasma to replace lost clotting proteins after heavy bleeding. In a lab, a worker may separate plasma from a blood sample before testing it.

plasma ↗serum ↗whole bloodred blood cellsplatelets ↗

Etymology

GreekScientific LatinEnglish

The word comes from Greek 'plasma', meaning something shaped or formed, from a verb meaning 'to mould'. It later passed through scientific Latin into English. Scientists then applied the name to both the liquid part of blood and a state of matter made of charged particles.