Plasmolyze

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause a plant or other cell to shrink as water leaves it and the cell membrane pulls away from the rigid cell wall
2. Making a living cell contract when placed in a strongly concentrated salt or sugar solution so that its contents draw away from the wall
3. Shrinking the protoplast of a cell by osmosis until it separates from the surrounding cell wall in a hypertonic solution

Etymology: In Greek, "plasma" meant something molded or shaped, such as a figure made from clay, and it comes from "plassein," to mold. Biologists borrowed the term for the living contents inside a cell, which are shaped by the membrane and wall around them. "Lysis" comes from the Greek "lyein," to loosen or dissolve, and it appears in English words for the breaking down of something. Combined in "plasmolysis," the two parts describe the loosening of the cell's contents. When a plant cell is placed in a strong salt or sugar solution, water leaves it, and the protoplast pulls away from the cell wall. The English verb "plasmolyze" is simply that process turned into an action, formed by adding the verb ending "-ize" to the noun. It is a technical coinage built from Greek parts, so its meaning stays close to its scientific description.