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

Unicellular organisms, both eukaryotic and prokaryotic, also turn on and off genes in response to the demands of their environment so that they can respond to special conditions.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

The additional steps involved in eukaryotic mRNA maturation create a molecule that is much more stable than a prokaryotic mRNA.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Margulis has summarized the now considerable body of data indicating that the modern nucleated cell was made up, part by part, by the coming together of just such prokaryotic animals.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas