noun

1. Etymology: meta- + -plasm

   that part of the contents of a cell which consists of lifeless matter, as certain fatty or starch granules

2. Etymology: L metaplasmus, an irregularity < Gr metaplasmes, formation of cases of nouns from a missing nom. < meta, over (see meta-) + plassein, to form (see plastic)

   a change in a linguistic form made by the addition, omission, or transposition of a sound or sounds or a syllable or syllables