Meaning & use
eukaryotic
Last updated
UK/ˌjuː.kær.iˈɒt.ɪk/
US/ˌjuː.ker.iˈɑː.t̬ɪk/
Meaning
adjectivebefore a nounbiology
Made of cells that have a true nucleus and other structures wrapped in membranes.
Grammar: Used before nouns such as cell or organism.
Patterns
- eukaryotic cell
- eukaryotic organism
Plant and animal cells are eukaryotic.
Yeast is a eukaryotic organism used in baking.
Eukaryotic cells contain mitochondria.
Common combinations
- eukaryotic cell
- Each eukaryotic cell has a nucleus.
- eukaryotic organism
- A fungus is a eukaryotic organism.
- eukaryotic DNA
- Eukaryotic DNA is stored in chromosomes.
- eukaryotic genome
- The eukaryotic genome is often very large.
- eukaryotic ribosome
- A eukaryotic ribosome is larger than a bacterial one.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nucleated
- Nucleated simply means having a nucleus, while eukaryotic also implies other membrane-bound parts.
Opposites
Word family
- eukaryote noun
- an organism whose cells have a nucleus
- eukaryotes noun
- plural form of eukaryote
- prokaryote noun
- a single-celled organism without a nucleus
- karyotype noun
- the set of chromosomes in a cell
Commonly confused: eukaryotic or prokaryotic?
eukaryotic vs prokaryotic
Prokaryotic cells, such as bacteria, have no nucleus. Eukaryotic cells do.
Practice
Which of these is eukaryotic?
Choose one answer.
Human cells have a nucleus, so they are eukaryotic. Bacteria and archaea are prokaryotic, and viruses are not cells.
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