Meanings
nounplasmotomy (uncountable)
- uncountablebiologyA form of asexual reproduction, in protozoa, in which a multinucleate cell divides into similar daughter cells without mitosis.
We did not find evidence to support alternative modes of reproduction such as plasmotomy and budding in Blastocystis as suggested by others since we did not observe multinucleation in irregularly-shaped viable cells.
2015 December 1, “Seeing the Whole Elephant: Imaging Flow Cytometry Reveals Extensive Morphological Diversity within Blastocystis Isolates”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI
Origin
Likely from Ancient Greek πλᾰ́σμᾰ n (plắsmă, “something formed, a creation or formation”) + -otomy (“an incision”).
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
plasmotomy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plasmotomy
MLA
“plasmotomy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plasmotomy. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “plasmotomy,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plasmotomy.
Source: plasmotomy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.