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

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

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2026

Over time, it likely absorbed important genes from the host cell and gradually transformed into what we now recognize as the nucleus of eukaryotic cells.

From Science Daily • Feb. 19, 2026

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

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