Dictionary Home »
Webster's New World College Dictionary » meiotically
meiotically
Variant of meiosis
meiosis
definition
meio·sis (mī ō′sis)
noun
- the process of two consecutive nuclear divisions in the formation of germ cells in animals and of spores in most plants, by which the number of chromosomes ordinarily is reduced from the diploid, or double, number found in somatic cells to the haploid, or halved, number found in gametes and in spores
- litotes
Etymology: ModL < Gr meiōsis < meioun, to make smaller < meiōn, less: see minor
Related Forms:
- meiotic mei·ot′ic (-ät′ik) adjective
- meiotically mei·ot′i·cally adverb
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Share on Facebook
Browse dictionary definitions near meiotically
Also Mentioned In