Prokaryote

A bacterial cell lacking a true nucleus; its DNA is usually in one long strand. See Eukaryote.

A member of the large group of organisms, including bacteria and blue-green algae, in which the chromosome is not enclosed within a nucleus, but instead exists as a linear or circular strand. Prokaryotes do not undergo meiosis and do not have functional organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts . See: eukaryote.

Organisms, namely bacteria and cyanobacteria (formerly known as blue-green algae), characterized by the possession of a simple naked DNA chromosome, occasionally two such chromosomes, usually of circular structure, without a nuclear membrane and possessing a very small range of organelles, generally only a plasma membrane and ribosomes.

Cell or organism lacking a membrane-bound, structurally discrete nucleus and other subcellular compartments. Bacteria are examples of prokaryotes. See also: chromosome, eukaryote