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

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

Estimates of numbers of prokaryotic species are largely guesses, but biologists agree that science has only begun to catalog their diversity.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Antibiotics only target prokaryotic cells, whereas compounds that kill fungi also harm the eukaryotic animal host.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Illustration C shows a bacteriophage injecting DNA into a prokaryotic cell.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

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

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas