Plasma

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Plasma \Plas"ma\, n. [See {Plasm}.]
     1. (Min.) A variety of quartz, of a color between grass green
        and leek green, which is found associated with common
        chalcedony. It was much esteemed by the ancients for
        making engraved ornaments.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. (Biol.) The viscous material of an animal or vegetable
        cell, out of which the various tissues are formed by a
        process of differentiation; protoplasm.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Unorganized material; elementary matter.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. (Med.) A mixture of starch and glycerin, used as a
        substitute for ointments. --U. S. Disp.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. same as {blood plasma}.
        [PJC]
  
     6. (physics) a state of matter in which charged particles
        such as electrons and atomi nuclei have sufficiently high
        energy to move freely, rather than be bound in atoms as in
        ordinary matter; it has some of the properties of a gas,
        but is a conductor of electricity.
  
     Note: In a typical plasma, the number of positive and
           negative particles are approximately equal. Plasmas are
           found naturally in the atmosphere of stars, and can be
           created in special laboratory apparatus.
           [PJC]
  
     {Blood plasma} (Physiol.), the colorless fluid of the blood,
        in which the red and white blood corpuscles are suspended.
        It may be obtained by centrifuation of blood to remove the
        blood cells. It is distinguished from {serum} in that
        plasma still has the fibrin of blood, and may be clotted,
        while in serum the fibrin has been removed.
  
     {Muscle plasma} (Physiol.), the fundamental part of muscle
        fibers, a thick, viscid, albuminous fluid contained within
        the sarcolemma, which on the death of the muscle
        coagulates to a semisolid mass.
        [1913 Webster +PJC] Plasmatic

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  plasma
       n 1: colorless watery fluid of blood and lymph containing no
            cells and in which erythrocytes and leukocytes and
            platelets are suspended [syn: {plasm}]
       2: a green slightly translucent variety of chalcedony used as a
          gemstone
       3: (physical chemistry) a fourth state of matter distinct from
          solid or liquid or gas and present in stars and fusion
          reactors; a gas becomes a plasma when it is heated until
          the atoms lose all their electrons, leaving a highly
          electrified collection of nuclei and free electrons;
          "particles in space exist in the form of a plasma"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  52 Moby Thesaurus words for "plasma":
     Rh factor, Rh-negative, Rh-positive, Rh-type, Rhesus factor,
     antibody, antigen, arterial blood, blood, blood bank, blood cell,
     blood count, blood donor, blood donor center, blood group,
     blood grouping, blood picture, blood platelet, blood pressure,
     blood serum, blood substitute, bloodmobile, bloodstream,
     circulation, clinical dextran, dextran, erythrocyte, globulin,
     gore, grume, hematics, hematologist, hematology, hematoscope,
     hematoscopy, hemocyte, hemoglobin, hemometer, humor, ichor,
     isoantibody, leukocyte, lifeblood, neutrophil, opsonin, phagocyte,
     plasma substitute, red corpuscle, serum, type O, venous blood,
     white corpuscle
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  PLASMA
       
          PLAnner-like System Modelled on Actors.  {Carl Hewitt}, 1975.
          The first {actor} language.  Originally called Planner-73, and
          implemented in MacLisp.  Lisp-like syntax, but with several
          kinds of parentheses and brackets.
       
          ["A PLASMA Primer", B. Smith et al, AI Lab Working Paper 92,
          MIT Oct 1975].
       
          ["Viewing Control Structures as Patterns of Passing Messages",
          C. Hewitt, AI Lab Memo 410, MIT 1976].