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 alphaproteobacterium eventually evolved into the mitochondria, the structure inside eukaryotic cells that produces energy.

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2026

The results not only illuminate how eukaryotic cells are organized but also offer clues about the evolutionary development of their internal structures.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

Using samples from Roscoff and a second collection in Bilbao, Spain, the team conducted one of the most comprehensive studies ever of the cytoskeleton -- the filament network that supports and organizes eukaryotic cells.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

The genes for these vault components are found in diverse eukaryotic organisms—those that pack their DNA in the nucleus and share other cellular features—with notable exceptions that include insects, plants, and fungi.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 6, 2024

Later, when the time is right, there may be fusion and symbiosis among the bits, and then we will see eukaryotic thought, metazoans of thought, huge interliving coral shoals of thought.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas