PROKARYOTE

[pro.kary.ote] n [NL Prokaryotes, proposed subdivision of protists, fr. [1]pro- + kary- + -otes, pl. n. suffix, fr. Gk -otos--more at -otic] (1963): a cellular organism (as a bacterium or a blue-green alga) that does not have a distinct nucleus--compare eukaryote -- pro.kary.ot.ic adj