[ plaz'məʊdɪəm ]
■ noun ( plural plasmodia -dɪə )
1》 a parasitic protozoan of a genus including that causing malaria. [Genus Plasmodium .]
2》 Biology a form within the life cycle of some simple organisms such as slime moulds, consisting of a mass of protoplasm containing many nuclei.
Derivatives
plasmodial adjective
Origin
C19: mod. L., based on late L. plasma 'mould, formation'.