prokaryote

prokaryote definition - medical

pro·kar·y·ote or pro·car·y·ote (prō-kărˈē-ōtˌ)

noun
An organism of the kingdom Prokaryotae, constituting the bacteria and cyanobacteria, characterized by the absence of a nuclear membrane and by DNA that is not organized into chromosomes.

Related Forms:

  • pro·karˌy·otˈic (-ŏtˈĭk) adjective

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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