The story
- Ancient Greek · derived fromπρῶτος“first”
- German · borrowed fromProtoplasma
- English todayprotoplasm
From German Protoplasma, coined by Czech physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně, from Ancient Greek πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”) + πλάσμα (plásma, “something molded”). By surface analysis, proto- + -plasm. Compare also protoplasma, used in Late Latin for the “first-created one” (i.e. Adam).
Words from the same roots
Ancient Greekπρῶτος all →
prothonotaryprotiumprotopapasprop-propionic acidprotide
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.