Definition of "meiosis" [‖Mei•o•sis]

• Genetics The process of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that reduces the number of chromosomes in reproductive cells from diploid to haploid, leading to the production of gametes in animals and spores in plants. (noun)
• Rhetorical understatement. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "My own mnemonic system depends on the fact that the word meiosis has been “reduced,” from mitosis, to the extent of not containing the letter t."
• "Incorrect chromosome division during meiosis is the commonest cause of spontaneous miscarriage during pregnancy, and an extra chromosome 21 in humans leads to Down's syndrome."
• "The process by which the DNA load is halved is termed meiosis."