— eukaryotic /yooh kar'ee ot"ik/ , adj.
/yooh kar"ee oht', -ee euht/ , n. Biol.
any organism having as its fundamental structural unit a cell type that contains specialized organelles in the cytoplasm, a membrane-bound nucleus enclosing genetic material organized into chromosomes, and an elaborate system of division by mitosis or meiosis, characteristic of all life forms except bacteria, blue-green algae, and other primitive microorganisms.
Also, eucaryote . Cf. prokaryote .
[ Eukaryota, earlier Eucaryotes (1925) "those having a true nucleus," equiv. to eu- EU- + Gk káry ( on ) nut, kernel (see KARYO-) + NL -ota, -otes; see -OTE ]