\Pro"to*plast\, n. [L. protoplastus the first man,
Gr. ? formed or created first; ? first + ? formed, fr. ? to
form.]
1. The thing first formed; that of which there are subsequent
   copies or reproductions; the original.

2. (Biol.) A first-formed organized body; the first
   individual, or pair of individuals, of a species.

         A species is a class of individuals, each of which
         is hypothetically considered to be the descendant of
         the same protoplast, or of the same pair of
         protoplasts.                          --Latham.