prokaryote: Meaning and Definition of

pro•kar•y•ote

Pronunciation: (prō-kar'ē-ōt", -ē-ut), [key]
— n.
  1. any cellular organism that has no nuclear membrane, no organelles in the cytoplasm except ribosomes, and has its genetic material in the form of single continuous strands forming coils or loops, characteristic of all organisms in the kingdom Monera, as the bacteria and blue-green algae.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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