monokaryotic
|mon-o-kar-y-ot-ic|
🇺🇸
/ˌmɑːnoʊˌkæriˈɑːtɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌmɒnəʊˌkæriˈɒtɪk/
having one nucleus
Etymology
'monokaryotic' originates from Greek, specifically the roots 'monos' and 'karyon,' where 'mono-' meant 'single' and 'karyon' meant 'nut, kernel; nucleus'.
'monokaryotic' changed from New Latin scientific formations using 'karyon' (adopted into English in biological terminology) and eventually became the modern English word 'monokaryotic'.
Initially, it meant 'having a single nucleus,' and this meaning has remained stable in modern usage.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
biology: Having a single nucleus per cell; consisting of cells each with one nucleus.
Under the microscope, the culture remained monokaryotic throughout the experiment.
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Adjective 2
mycology: Describing the phase or mycelium in basidiomycetes in which each cell contains a single nucleus, prior to the dikaryotic stage.
Monokaryotic hyphae must encounter a compatible mate to establish a dikaryotic mycelium.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/12 04:27