The term "protoplasm" was coined by Jan Evangelista Purkinje in 1839. He is credited with introducing this term for the living part of the cell that is surrounded by the plasma membrane. Although the protoplasm as a concept was observed earlier by others such as Dujardin (who called it "sarcode" in 1835), it was Purkinje who gave it the name "protoplasm" and helped to solidify the idea of this cell component.
