What does -plasm mean in medical terms?

-plasm

Meaning: formed substance; tissue

Type: Suffix

A suffix goes at the very end of a word, after the root. On this page: what -plasm means, and real medical words that use it, each broken down into its parts.

Example words using -plasm

cytoplasm
cyto (cell) + -plasm (formed substance) = the material within a cell
neoplasm
neo (new) + -plasm (formed substance) = a new growth of tissue

Shortened forms

Charts and notes shorten long terms — see the Medical Abbreviations guide for the short forms you will meet in real records.

Please note: This section teaches the language of medicine — what word parts mean and how terms are built. It is an educational reference, not medical advice. For the meaning of a word in your own medical record, ask the clinician who wrote it.