The Collaborative International Dictionary
Metaplasm \Met"a*plasm\, n. [L. metaplasmus, Gr. ?; ? beyond, over + ? to mold: cf. F. m['e]taplasme.] (Gram.) A change in the letters or syllables of a word.
Wiktionary
n. 1 (context linguistics English) Any change in a word made by altering its letters or sounds 2 (context biology English) A small particle (often nutrient) within a cell
Wikipedia
A metaplasm is a change in the orthography (and hence phonology) of a word. Originally it referred to techniques used in Ancient Greek and Latin poetry, or processes in those languages' grammar.
Usage examples of "metaplasm".
Four loads of various analyses, spectral, elemental, et-ceteral, mineral samples, and then there is that soup or metaplasm or whatever that rotten stuff from Beta Arcturi was called.
Black streams of nanoprobes snaked through the Founder’s undulating mass of metaplasm.