nucleoid: Meaning and Definition of

nu•cle•oid

Pronunciation: (n'klē-oid", ny'-), [key]
— Microbiol. Microbiol.
—n.
  1. the central region in a prokaryotic cell, as a bacterium, that contains the chromosomes and that has no surrounding membrane.
—adj.
  1. resembling a nucleus.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.