protyle
/ˈproʊtaɪl/
noun
- A hypothetical basic substance from which all chemical elements were once thought to be formed.
- In the 19th century, some scientists believed protyle was the original matter of the universe.
- The idea of protyle was later replaced by the discovery of protons, neutrons, and electrons.
- Textbooks from the 1800s sometimes described protyle as a kind of primordial stuff.