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prokaryote
[ proh-kar-ee-oht, -ee-uht ]
noun
, Biology.
- any cellular organism that has no nuclear membrane, no organelles in the cytoplasm except ribosomes, and has its genetic material in the form of single continuous strands forming coils or loops, characteristic of all organisms in the kingdom Monera, as the bacteria.
prokaryote
/ prō-kăr′ē-ōt′ /
- Any of a wide variety of one-celled organisms of the kingdom Monera (or Prokaryota) that are the most primitive and ancient known forms of life. Prokaryotes lack a distinct cell nucleus and their DNA is not organized into chromosomes. They also lack the internal structures bound by membranes called organelles, such as mitochondria. At the molecular level, prokaryotes differ from eukaryotes in the structure of their lipids and of certain metabolic enzymes, and in how genes are expressed for protein synthesis. Prokaryotes reproduce asexually and include the bacteria and blue-green algae.
- Also called moneran
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Derived Forms
- prokaryotic, adjective
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Other Words From
- pro·kar·y·ot·ic pro·car·y·ot·ic [proh-kar-ee-, ot, -ik], adjective
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Word History and Origins
Origin of prokaryote1
First recorded in 1960–65; from French procaryote, from New Latin Prokaryota (neuter plural), from Greek pro- prefix + Greek káry(on) “nut” + -ote ( def ); pro- 2, Eukaryota
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Word History and Origins
Origin of prokaryote1
from pro- ² + karyo- + -ote as in zygote
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Example Sentences
Because archaea are relatively simple prokaryotes with small genomes, “I don’t think that the original role of histones was to control gene expression, or at least not in a manner that we are used to from eukaryotes,” Warnecke said.
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