English
plasma
Plasma comes from Late Latin plasma ‘mold’, from Ancient Greek πλάσμα ‘something formed’, and ultimately from πλάσσω ‘to form, mold’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλάσσω1‘to form, mold’earlier origin unknown
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλάσμα2plásma‘something formed’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEplasma2‘mold’
- Englishearliest quotation 1901plasma2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πλάσμα
- 2 Wiktionary, English plasma
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1901, Rudyard Kipling: “hair-pins of jade, ivory, and plasma”.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλάσσωWiktionary, Ancient Greek πλάσμα‘to form, mold’earlier origin unknown
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπλάσμαWiktionary, English plasmaplásma‘something formed’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEplasmaWiktionary, English plasma‘mold’
- Englishearliest quotation 1901plasmaWiktionary, English plasma. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1901, Rudyard Kipling: “hair-pins of jade, ivory, and plasma”
Linked words
through Ancient Greek πλάσσω ‘to form, mold’
Today it means
noun A state of matter consisting of partially ionized gas and electrons.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “plasma”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek πλάσμα. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek πλάσσω / plasma