Standard Lemma guide

ectoplasm

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈɛktəˌplæzəm/
  • Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A visible substance believed to emanate from the body of a spiritualistic medium during communication with the dead.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: parapsychology, pseudoscience

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An immaterial or ethereal substance, especially the transparent corporeal presence of a spirit or ghost.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: parapsychology, pseudoscience

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, cytology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cytoplasm, cytol

5

noun

Meaning 5

(spiritualism) a substance supposed to emanate from the body of the medium during a trance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: emanation

History

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.

Across languages

Translations

54 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: إكتوبلازم ('iiktublazim) — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Armenian: էկտոպլազմա (ēktoplazma) — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Bulgarian: ектоплазма (ektoplazma) — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Catalan: ectoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Chinese Mandarin: 外質 /外质 (wàizhì) — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Danish: ektoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Danish: teleplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Dutch: ectoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Finnish: ektoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • French: ectoplasme — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Galician: ectoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • German: Ektoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Greek: εκτόπλασμα (ektóplasma) — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Hungarian: ektoplazma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Indonesian: ektoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Irish: eicteaplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Italian: ectoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Japanese: エクトプラズム (ekutopurazumu) — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Javanese: ektoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Korean: 엑토플라즘 (ektopeullajeum) — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Norwegian: ektoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Norwegian: teleplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Polish: ektoplazma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Portuguese: ectoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Russian: эктопла́зма (ektoplázma) — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Serbo-Croatian: ектоплазма — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Serbo-Croatian: ektoplazma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Spanish: ectoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Swedish: ektoplasma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Turkish: ektoplazma — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Ukrainian: ектопла́зма (ektoplázma) — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Vietnamese: ngoại chất — parapsychology: visible substance believed to emanate from spiritualistic mediums
  • Bulgarian: ектоплазма (ektoplazma) — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • Finnish: ektoplasma — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • Galician: ectoplasma — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • German: Ektoplasma — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • Hungarian: ektoplazma — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • Japanese: エクトプラズム (ekutopurazumu) — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • Korean: 엑토플라즘 (ektopeullajeum) — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • Norwegian: ektoplasma — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • Russian: эктопла́зма (ektoplázma) — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • Serbo-Croatian: ектоплазма — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • Serbo-Croatian: ektoplazma — parapsychology: an immaterial or ethereal substance
  • Bulgarian: ектоплазма (ektoplazma) — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
  • Catalan: ectoplasma — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
  • Finnish: ektoplasma — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
  • Galician: ectoplasma — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
  • German: Ektoplasma — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
  • Hungarian: ektoplazma — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
  • Norwegian: ektoplasma — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
  • Russian: эктопла́зма (ektoplázma) — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
  • Serbo-Croatian: ектоплазма — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
  • Serbo-Croatian: ektoplazma — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm
  • Tagalog: labaskaphay — cytology: the outer granule-free layer of cytoplasm