ectoplasm en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈɛktəˌplæzəm/
- audio
Etymology
From ecto- (“outside”) + plasm or -plasm, referring to the fact that ectoplasm is believed to emanate from and materialize outside of the medium's body.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) A visible substance believed to emanate from the body of a spiritualistic medium during communication with the dead.
He saw again clearly enough[…]the doctor’s consulting room in the Avenida de la Revolución, visited for some drunken reason in the early hours of the morning, macabre with its pictures of ancient Spanish surgeons, their goat faces rising queerly from ruffs resembling ectoplasm, roaring with laughter as they performed inquisitorial operations; […]
1947, Malcolm Lowry, Under the Volcano, New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, page 137:Watching as the woman lifted her skirts and flung out ectoplasm, expelled it into a bowl, then brandished it around at her audience wildly.
2021, Jenni Fagan, Luckenbooth, William Heinemann, page 131:
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(countable, uncountable) An immaterial or ethereal substance, especially the transparent corporeal presence of a spirit or ghost.
Then came some hollow groanings from inside the cabinet. The Spiritualists sat up expectantly. "That's ectoplasm," said Ogilvy. "It always causes pain on emission."
1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
- (countable, uncountable) The outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ectoplasms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Synonyms
Translations (54)
de Ektoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · de Ektoplasma (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · sh ектоплазма (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · es ectoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · fr ectoplasme (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · ga eicteaplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · bg ектоплазма (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · ca ectoplasma (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · bg ектоплазма (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · no ektoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · no teleplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · ru эктопла́зма (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · el εκτόπλασμα (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · cmn 外質 /外质 (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · vi ngoại chất (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · hu ektoplazma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · fi ektoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · sv ektoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · no ektoplasma (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · jv ektoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · fi ektoplasma (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · no ektoplasma (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · uk ектопла́зма (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · hu ektoplazma (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · hu ektoplazma (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · da teleplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · bg ектоплазма (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · sh ектоплазма (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · gl ectoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · gl ectoplasma (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · ko 엑토플라즘 (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · tr ektoplazma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · ko 엑토플라즘 (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · sh ектоплазма (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · sh ektoplazma (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · id ektoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · ja エクトプラズム (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · pt ectoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · pl ektoplazma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · tl labaskaphay (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · ru эктопла́зма (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · de Ektoplasma (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · sh ektoplazma (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · ar إكتوبلازم (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · sh ektoplazma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · it ectoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · da ektoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · ru эктопла́зма (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · ja エクトプラズム (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · fi ektoplasma (cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm) · hy էկտոպլազմա (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · gl ectoplasma (parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance) · ca ectoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums) · nl ectoplasma (parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums)