eukaryote

or eu·car·y·ote

[ yoo-kar-ee-oht, -ee-uh t ]

/ yuˈkær iˌoʊt, -i ət /

noun Biology.

any organism having as its fundamental structural unit a cell type that contains specialized organelles in the cytoplasm, a membrane-bound nucleus enclosing genetic material organized into chromosomes, and an elaborate system of division by mitosis or meiosis, characteristic of all life forms except bacteria, blue-green algae, and other primitive microorganisms.

Nearby words

euhedral, euhemerism, euhemerize, euhemerus, eukaryotae, eukaryote, eukinetics, eula, eulachon, eulenburg's disease, eulenspiegel

Compare prokaryote.

Origin of eukaryote

< New Latin Eukaryota, earlier Eucaryotes (1925) “those having a true nucleus,” equivalent to eu- eu- + Greek káry(on) nut, kernel (see karyo-) + New Latin -ota, -otes; see -ote

Related forms

eu·kar·y·ot·ic

[yoo-kar-ee-ot-ik] /yuˌkær iˈɒt ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for eukaryotic

eukaryote

eucaryote

/ (juːˈkærɪˌɒt) /

noun

any member of the Eukarya, a domain of organisms having cells each with a distinct nucleus within which the genetic material is contained. Eukaryotes include protoctists, fungi, plants, and animalsCompare prokaryote

Derived Forms

eukaryotic or eucaryotic (ˌjuːkærɪˈɒtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for eukaryote

from eu- + karyo- + -ote as in zygote

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for eukaryotic

eukaryote

n.

A single-celled or multicellular organism whose cells contain a distinct membrane-bound nucleus.

Related forms

eu•kar′y•ot′ic (-ŏt′ĭk) adj.

Science definitions for eukaryotic

eukaryote

[ yōō-kăr′ē-ōt ]

An organism whose cells contain a nucleus surrounded by a membrane and whose DNA is bound together by proteins (histones) into chromosomes. The cells of eukaryotes also contain an endoplasmic reticulum and numerous specialized organelles not present in prokaryotes, especially mitochondria, Golgi bodies, and lysosomes. The organelles are enclosed in a three-part membrane (called a unit membrane) consisting of a lipid layer sandwiched between two protein layers. All organisms except for bacteria and archaea are eukaryotes. Compare prokaryote.

Related forms

eukaryotic adjective

Culture definitions for eukaryotic

eukaryote

[ (yooh-kar-ee-oht) ]

An organism whose cells contain a nucleus. All multicelled organisms are eukaryotes, as is one superkingdom of single-celled organisms. Eukaryotes also have organelles enclosed by membranes. (Compare prokaryote.)

Note

Eukaryotes evolved in a process in which one early prokaryote consumed another, forming a more complex structure.

Note

The word eukaryote comes from the Greek for “true nucleus.”