Dictionary
eu•kar•y•ote
Pronunciation: (yOO-kar'ē-ōt", -ē-ut), [key]—
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. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.