n. Alteration of a word by the addition, omission, or transposition of sounds or syllables or the letters that represent them. [Middle English metaplasmus, from Latin, from Greek metaplasmos, remodeling, from metaplassein, to remold : meta-, meta- + plassein, to mold; see pelə-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] met′a·plastic (-plăstĭk), met′a·plasmic (-plăzmĭk) adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. Cellular materials such as pigment granules or starch grains that were formerly considered to be nonliving, in contrast to the protoplasm. met′a·plasmic (-plăzmĭk) adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.