soma

IPA/ˈsəʊ.mə/
KK[sˈomɑ]IPA/ˈsoʊ.mə/

soma — noun

  • somasingular
  • somasplural

1. the part of a living thing that makes up its body and is distinct from the cells

1.nounC2
Definition

the part of a living thing that makes up its body and is distinct from the cells that produce eggs or sperm

Example

Dr. Folake explained that changes in the soma do not affect future generations.

contrast: soma vs germ line

The soma of a plant includes all its tissues except the cells that form seeds.

Common collocations
  • soma and germ line
  • mutations in the soma
  • the soma of an organism
Synonyms
  • body

    broader and everyday term; 'soma' is strictly technical and excludes germ cells

  • somatic cells

    the individual cells that make up the soma, often used interchangeably in biology texts

Antonyms
  • germ line

    the reproductive cells and their precursors, excluded from the soma

Grammar Patterns

the soma of + noun phrase

Usage Note

This sense appears mainly in genetics and evolutionary biology, where the distinction between the soma and the germ line is important for understanding how traits are inherited.

Common Mistakes

Soma means the whole body of an organism including all organs.
Soma refers to the body of an organism excluding its reproductive cells.
The germ cells are not part of the soma.

2. the rounded central region inside a neuron, where the nucleus is located and fro

2.nounC2
Definition

the rounded central region inside a neuron, where the nucleus is located and from which the rest of the cell receives its instructions for growth and activity

Example

Under the microscope, Sofia traced each soma's outline and noted its position among the dendrites.

microscope: visualising the soma among dendrites

Reuben's research showed that damage to the soma affects how the entire neuron functions.

Common collocations
  • soma of a neuron
  • damage to the soma
  • the soma and dendrites
Synonyms
  • cell body

    the common everyday term for the soma in neurobiology; fully interchangeable

  • perikaryon

    a more technical synonym used in advanced neuroscience; same meaning

Grammar Patterns

the soma of + noun phrase

Usage Note

The soma is one of the three main parts of a neuron, along with the dendrites (which receive signals) and the axon (which sends signals). In anatomy texts, 'cell body' is a common synonym.

Common Mistakes

The soma is the long fibre that carries signals away from the nerve cell.
The soma is the central, rounded part of the nerve cell that contains the nucleus.
The long fibre is the axon, not the soma.

3. a plant-based liquid with mind-altering properties, offered to divine beings dur

3.nounC2
Definition

a plant-based liquid with mind-altering properties, offered to divine beings during ancient Indian religious practices and described in Vedic texts as a source of spiritual power

Example

The ancient hymns describe soma as a golden drink that gave warriors strength in battle.

register: Vedic ritual context

Priests prepared soma by crushing a mountain plant and mixing the juice with milk and water.

Common collocations
  • prepare soma
  • offer soma
  • drink soma
  • soma and milk
Synonyms
  • haoma

    the Zoroastrian equivalent of soma; refers to the same or a very similar ritual drink in ancient Persian tradition

  • ambrosia

    in Greek mythology, the food or drink of the gods that grants immortality; a functional parallel, though from a different cultural tradition

Grammar Patterns

soma is + adjective + drink/liquid

Usage Note

The exact plant used to make soma is no longer known with certainty; scholars have suggested several candidates, including the fly agaric mushroom and various species of ephedra.

Common Mistakes

Soma is a modern energy drink.
Soma was a sacred drink used in ancient Indian Vedic rituals, not a modern beverage.
The word refers to a historical ritual substance, not a contemporary product.

Word family

  • somatic
    adjectiveC2
  • somatically
    adverbC2
  • somatosensory
    adjectiveC2
  • psychosomatic
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

All three words describe divine substances from ancient religious traditions, but they come from different cultures. Soma (Sanskrit) and haoma (Avestan) are closely related — both are ritual drinks from Indo-Iranian tradition, prepared from an unidentified plant and offered to gods. Ambrosia and nectar belong to Greek mythology: ambrosia was the food (sometimes drink) of the Olympian gods, while nectar was their drink, both granting immortality. Soma/haoma are specifically ritual substances central to Vedic and Zoroastrian ceremonies, whereas ambrosia and nectar appear in narrative myths with no liturgical use. In modern English, 'soma' also appears in Huxley's Brave New World as a pleasure drug, adding a literary layer not shared by the others.

haoma ↗ambrosia ↗nectar ↗

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglishSanskrit

The word 'soma' entered English through two separate roots. The biological and neurobiological senses (1 and 2) come from the Greek word σῶμα (sôma), meaning 'body', adopted into scientific Latin and then English in the 19th century. The third sense, the Vedic ritual drink, comes from the Sanskrit word सोम (sóma), which referred to both the plant and the intoxicating drink made from it. These two etymological streams are completely unrelated — the Greek and Sanskrit words share a similar sound by coincidence.