Err although I'll decline from answering this series of questions from evonrunkle, I'll give him or her a mark for being able to spell Prokaryotes correctly.
The etymology of the word is based around the Greek word, Karyon which is Greek for "cell nucleus" (itself derived from Ancient Greek for "nut"). In simple terms, Prokaryotes refers to cells that lack a cell nucleus and chromosomes.
Another group of organisms called Eukaryotes do possess cell nuclei and chromosomes.