meiosis
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Modern Latin, from Ancient Greek μείωσις (meiōsis) "a lessening" < μειόω (meioō) "I lessen" < μείων (meiōn) "less".
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
meiosis (countable and uncountable; plural meioses)
- (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.
- 1965, John Fowles, The Magus:
- (cytology, uncountable) Cell division of a diploid cell into four haploid cells, which develop to produce gametes.
[edit] Meronyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Antonyms
[edit] See also
[edit] Translations
cell division