1. to cause plasmolysis in (a cell); to cause the protoplasm of a cell to shrink away from the cell wall due to loss of water in a hypertonic solution
Usage: biology; transitive verb

Examples

• The plant cells were plasmolyzed when placed in a concentrated salt solution.
• In the laboratory, students observed how the onion cells plasmolyzed under the microscope.
• A hypertonic environment will plasmolyze most living plant cells.
• The researcher plasmolyzed the tissue samples to study cell membrane properties.
• When exposed to the saline solution, the protoplasm plasmolyzed and separated from the cell wall.