eukaryotic

[ yoo-kar-ee-ot-ik ]

/ yuˌkær iˈɒt ɪk /

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adjective Biology.

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Sometimes eu·car·y·ot·ic .

Compare prokaryotic.

Origin of eukaryotic

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

Words nearby eukaryotic

euhemerism, euhemerize, Euhemerus, Eukaryota, eukaryote, eukaryotic, eukinetics, EULA, eulachon, Eulenspiegel, Euler

How to use eukaryotic in a sentence

Any origin story for the eukaryotic nucleus needs to explain several of its features.
Did Viruses Create the Nucleus? The Answer May Be Near.|Christie Wilcox|November 25, 2020|Quanta Magazine
He hypothesized that the eukaryotic enzyme originated as a contribution from some ancient poxvirus.
Did Viruses Create the Nucleus? The Answer May Be Near.|Christie Wilcox|November 25, 2020|Quanta Magazine
For these giant viruses, the compartments they make are “viral factories which are as big as a eukaryotic nucleus,” said Patrick Forterre, an evolutionary biologist at the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
Did Viruses Create the Nucleus? The Answer May Be Near.|Christie Wilcox|November 25, 2020|Quanta Magazine
In the case of that virus, “this nucleus-like structure is not membrane-based,” Takemura said, which makes it distinct from many viral factories and eukaryotic nuclei.
Did Viruses Create the Nucleus? The Answer May Be Near.|Christie Wilcox|November 25, 2020|Quanta Magazine

There were just too many differences between bacterial and eukaryotic genomes, he felt, like the fact that eukaryotes have linear chromosomes while bacteria tend to have circular ones.
Did Viruses Create the Nucleus? The Answer May Be Near.|Christie Wilcox|November 25, 2020|Quanta Magazine