protoplast

protoplast
    n 1: a biological unit consisting of a nucleus and the body of
         cytoplasm with which it interacts [syn: {energid},
         {protoplast}]
    

Protoplast \Pro"to*plast\, n. [L. protoplastus the first man,
   Gr. ? formed or created first; ? first + ? formed, fr. ? to
   form.]
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   1. The thing first formed; that of which there are subsequent
      copies or reproductions; the original.
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   2. (Biol.) A first-formed organized body; the first
      individual, or pair of individuals, of a species.
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            A species is a class of individuals, each of which
            is hypothetically considered to be the descendant of
            the same protoplast, or of the same pair of
            protoplasts.                          --Latham.
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