English
plasmid
From plasma + -id, coined by American molecular biologist Joshua Lederberg in 1952.
Formed from plasma + -id
Ancient Greek πλάσσω ‘to form, mold’
Ancient Greek πλάσμα ‘something formed’
Late Latin plasma ‘mold’
English plasma
The story
From plasma + -id, coined by American molecular biologist Joshua Lederberg in 1952.
Today it means
noun A loop of double-stranded DNA that is separate from — and replicates independently of — the chromosomes; such loops are most commonly found in bacteria, but they are also sometimes found in archaeans and eukaryotic cells, and they are used in genetic engineering as a vector for gene transfer.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / plasmid