Meaning & use
eukaryotic cell
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebiologytechnical
A cell that has a true nucleus and other membrane-bound structures inside it.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a eukaryotic cell or eukaryotic cells. It contrasts with a prokaryotic cell, which has no true nucleus.
Patterns
- a eukaryotic cell
- eukaryotic cells
- the eukaryotic cell
A eukaryotic cell keeps its DNA inside a nucleus.
Plants, animals, and fungi are all made of eukaryotic cells.
Under the microscope, the eukaryotic cell showed a clear nucleus.
nouncountablebiologytechnical
A type of cell whose internal parts are enclosed by membranes, typical of all organisms except bacteria and archaea.
Grammar: Often used in the plural when talking about organisms in general: eukaryotic cells have mitochondria.
Patterns
- eukaryotic cells have something
- eukaryotic cells contain something
Eukaryotic cells contain organelles such as mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum.
Unlike bacteria, eukaryotic cells divide by mitosis.
The evolution of the eukaryotic cell was a major step in the history of life.
Word forms
| plural | eukaryotic cells |
|---|
Common combinations
- eukaryotic cell structure
- The diagram shows eukaryotic cell structure, including the nucleus and mitochondria.
- a single eukaryotic cell
- Yeast is a single eukaryotic cell used in baking and brewing.
- eukaryotic cell division
- Eukaryotic cell division involves mitosis and cytokinesis.
- higher eukaryotic cell
- Higher eukaryotic cells have many specialized organelles.
Synonyms and how they differ
- eukaryote
- Use eukaryote for the whole organism; eukaryotic cell refers specifically to the cell itself.
Opposites
Word family
- eukaryote noun
- An organism whose cells have a true nucleus.
- eukaryotic adjective
- Describing a cell or organism with a true nucleus.
- prokaryote noun
- An organism whose cells lack a true nucleus.
Commonly confused: eukaryotic cell or prokaryotic cell? eukaryotic cell or eukaryote?
eukaryotic cell vs prokaryotic cell
A prokaryotic cell has no true nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles; a eukaryotic cell has both.
eukaryotic cell vs eukaryote
A eukaryote is the whole organism, while a eukaryotic cell is one unit of it.
Practice
Which of these is a characteristic of a eukaryotic cell?
Choose one answer.
A eukaryotic cell is defined by having a true nucleus, so option 1 is correct. Option 0 describes a prokaryotic cell, and the other options are untrue.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eukaryotic cell”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.