eukaryotic

American  

[yoo-kar-ee-ot-ik] / yuˌkær iˈɒt ɪk /

Sometimes eucaryotic

adjective

Biology.

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a eukaryote, an organism whose basic structural unit is a cell containing specialized organelles and a membrane-bound nucleus.

   Some scientists believe that the greatest transition of life in the history of Earth is the evolution of eukaryotic cellular life forms from more primitive prokaryotes.

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Etymology

Origin of eukaryotic

First recorded in 1955–60; eukaryot(e) ( def. ) + -ic ( def. )

Example Sentences

"The definition of a protist is loose -- essentially it is any eukaryotic organism which is not an animal, plant, or fungus," said Dr. McGowan.

From Science Daily • May 7, 2026

By examining these structural and functional variations, researchers are gaining insight into how giant viruses diversified and how their interactions with host cells may have influenced the evolution of complex eukaryotic life.

From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026

"Our findings thus illuminate a central principle of eukaryotic stress biology," says Beckmann.

From Science Daily • Nov. 25, 2025

A 2013 study constructed a family tree of all the organisms known to have vaults and concluded they date back to a hypothetical last common eukaryotic ancestor billions of years ago.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 6, 2024

Spirochetes, like the ones attached to M. paradoxa, joined up and became the cilia of eukaryotic cells.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas