meiosis

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

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Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Pronunciation 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Meronyms 1.3.2 Derived terms 1.3.3 Antonyms 1.3.4 See also 1.3.5 Translations

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

Modern Latin, from Ancient Greek μείωσις (meiōsis) "a lessening" < μειόω (meioō) "I lessen" < μείων (meiōn) "less".

[edit] Pronunciation

• IPA: /maɪˈəʊsɪs/
• Rhymes: -əʊsɪs

[edit] Noun

meiosis (countable and uncountable; plural meioses)

1. (rhetoric, countable) a figure of speech whereby something is made to seem smaller or less important than it is
   • 1965, John Fowles, The Magus:

     I knew, with one of those secret knowledges that can exist between two people, that her suicide was a direct result of my having told her of my own attempt – I had told it with a curt meiosis that was meant to conceal depths; and she had called my bluff one final time.

2. (cytology, uncountable) Cell division of a diploid cell into four haploid cells, which develop to produce gametes.

[edit] Meronyms

• prophase
• metaphase
• anaphase
• telophase

[edit] Derived terms

• meiotic
• meiotically

[edit] Antonyms

• hyperbole

[edit] See also

• auxesis
• litotes
• mitosis
• paradiastole

[edit] Translations