| 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. |
| -plastic |
developing, growing, or forming. [2 definitions] |
| plastic |
any of numerous synthetic substances, usu. organic polymers, that can be easily shaped when soft and then hardened, and that are widely used as industrial and domestic materials and finished products. [5 definitions] |
| plastic art |
an art, such as sculpture, in which forms are carved or modeled in three dimensions. [2 definitions] |
| plastic bomb |
a puttylike adhesive substance containing explosives that can be detonated either by electricity or a fuse. |
| Plasticine |
trademark for a claylike oil-base paste used for modeling. |
| plasticity |
the quality of being malleable. [4 definitions] |
| plasticize |
to transform into or become plastic. |
| plasticizer |
any of various substances added to plastics, paints, or the like to modify viscosity, flexibility, strength, or other characteristics. |
| plastic surgery |
surgery to repair, restore, or remodel injured or malformed parts of the body, esp. by transferring tissue from other parts of the body or from another individual. |
| plastid |
any of several small protoplasmic structures found in the cytoplasm of some plant cells, in which substances such as starch, protein, and pigment are stored. |
| plastique |
see "plastic bomb." [2 definitions] |