| plantigrade |
characterized by the use of the whole sole of the foot in walking. |
| plant louse |
an aphid, or any of various related insects. |
| plant medicine |
a traditional practice in which herbs and plant extracts are used to treat disease; herbal medicine. [3 definitions] |
| plaque |
a flat plate or tablet, usu. inscribed and used as a decorative hanging or as a commemorative. [3 definitions] |
| plash |
a gentle splash. [3 definitions] |
| -plasia |
development; growth; formation. |
| -plasm |
formative material, esp. of cells or tissue. |
| plasma |
the clear, liquid part of lymph or blood in which cells are suspended. [4 definitions] |
| plasmagene |
a cytoplasmic structure or substance that is thought to carry hereditary characteristics and function in a manner similar to, but independent of, chromosomal genes. |
| plasma membrane |
the thin, semipermeable membrane that encloses a plant or animal cell. |
| plasmapheresis |
a medical procedure in which blood cells are returned to the donor after the plasma and blood cells have been separated. |
| plasmid |
a DNA-containing, self-reproducing element in the cytoplasm of some bacteria which exists outside the chromosome, used in recombinant DNA technology because it can alter a hereditary characteristic when introduced into another bacterium. |
| plasmin |
an enzyme in plasma that dissolves certain proteins involved in blood clotting. |
| plasminogen |
the inactive precursor of plasmin, an enzyme in plasma that dissolves certain proteins involved in blood clotting. |
| plasmolysis |
the contraction of a cell's protoplasm, esp. in plants, because of the loss of water through the cell membrane or wall. |
| -plast |
an organized unit of usu. organic matter; cell. |
| plaster |
a paste of sand, lime or gypsum, or the like, and water that hardens when it dries, used esp. to cover walls and ceilings. [4 definitions] |
| plasterboard |
a thin sheet of hardened plaster covered with paper or cardboard and used to cover walls and ceilings. |
| plaster cast |
a sturdy rigid covering consisting of gauze saturated in plaster of Paris which is wrapped, when still wet, around a fractured limb or other part to prevent movement during healing. [2 definitions] |
| plastered |
(slang) drunk. |
| plaster of Paris |
any of several white gypsum powders that form a paste and harden quickly when added to water, and are used for making casts, molds, and sculpture. |