ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌplazəm noun
( -s )
1.
[Latin metaplasmus, literally, transformation, from Greek metaplasmos, from metaplassein to remold, from meta- + plassein to mold — more at plaster ]
: alteration of regular verbal, grammatical, or rhetorical structure usually by transposition of the letters or syllables of a word or of the words in a sentence
2.
[International Scientific Vocabulary meta- + -plasm; originally formed as German metaplasma ]
: material consisting of lifeless derivatives of protoplasm (as cell walls, starch grains)
• meta·plas·mic | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷|plazmik adjective