/ ˈplæzmə; NAmE / (also plasm / ˈplæzəm/) noun [ U ]
1.
( biology or medical ) the clear liquid part of blood, in which the blood cells, etc. float
2.
( physics ) a gas that contains approximately equal numbers of positive and negative electric charges and is present in the sun and most stars
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WORD ORIGIN
early 18th cent. (in the sense mould, shape ): from late Latin , literally mould , from Greek plasma , from plassein to shape.