In biology, the cell body of a nerve cell (neuron), which contains the cell nucleus and most organelles.
example
Das Soma ist für die Stoffwechselprozesse des Neurons von zentraler Bedeutung.
The soma is of central importance for the metabolic processes of the neuron.
Usage tips
Word origin
The word 'Soma' comes from Ancient Greek (σῶμα) and means 'body.' Knowing this helps you understand the biological meanings, where it is about the cell body or body cells.
EXAMPLE
In der Biologie bezeichnet das Soma den Körper einer Zelle.
In biology, the soma refers to the body of a cell.
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'Soma' is a technical term from biology, religious studies, or literature. This word is not used in everyday German.
EXAMPLE
Für die Prüfung musste er die Fachbegriffe wie Axon und Soma lernen.
For the exam, he had to learn technical terms like axon and soma.
Context clue
Because the word has very different meanings, context is crucial. Words like 'Zelle' (cell) or 'Neuron' (neuron) point to biology, 'Roman' (novel) or 'Huxley' to literature, and 'Götter' (gods) or 'Ritual' (ritual) to religion.
EXAMPLE
Im Roman „Schöne neue Welt“ dient Soma als Mittel zur sozialen Kontrolle.
In the novel 'Brave New World,' soma serves as a means of social control.
Typical collocations
In the literary context, 'Soma' is often combined with verbs like 'nehmen' (to take) or nouns like 'Ration' (ration) or 'Dosis' (dose) to describe the consumption of the drug.
EXAMPLE
Die Charaktere im Buch nehmen täglich eine Dosis Soma.
The characters in the book take a dose of soma every day.