Definition of "mitosis" [‖Mi•to•sis]

• Biology The process in cell division by which the nucleus divides, typically consisting of four stages, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, and normally resulting in two new nuclei, each of which contains a complete copy of the parental chromosomes. Also called karyokinesis. (noun)
• Biology The entire process of cell division including division of the nucleus and the cytoplasm. (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.

• "Science keeps eddying into its past: the word mitosis—Greek for “thread”—is resonant here again."
• "All life divided through mitosis, which is asexual reproduction, not female."
• "The entire process of cell division, referred to as mitosis, takes only about an hour."