prokaryotic

American  

[proh-kar-ee-ot-ik] / proʊˌkær iˈɒt ɪk /

Sometimes procaryotic

adjective

Biology.

1. of or relating to a prokaryote, a cellular organism that has no nuclear membrane and no organelles in the cytoplasm except ribosomes.

   According to one book, the key to evolution is symbiotic invasions—such as mitochondria and other organelles invading prokaryotic cells to create eukaryotic cells.

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Etymology

Origin of prokaryotic

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prokaryotic

Samples from oxygen-free environments contained only simple, prokaryotic forms.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

Supersulfides are gaining prominence for their occurrence as low-molecular-weight thiols or persulfidated cysteine residues, observed more frequently in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 16, 2024

Eukaryotic cells tend to be 10 to 100 times the size of prokaryotic cells.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

These reactions take place in specialized protein complexes located in the inner membrane of the mitochondria of eukaryotic organisms and on the inner part of the cell membrane of prokaryotic organisms.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 25, 2013

In structure and pigment content they are the images of prokaryotic blue-green algae.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas