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n. pl. mei·o·ses (-sēz′) 1. Genetics The process of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that reduces the number of chromosomes from diploid to haploid, as in the production of gametes. 2. Rhetorical understatement. [Greek meiōsis, diminution, from meioun, to diminish, from meiōn, less; see mei-2 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] mei·otic (-ŏtĭk) adj. mei·oti·cal·ly adv.  (click for a larger image) meiosistop to bottom:In meiosis a parent cell replicates and recombines, divides once to create two daughter cells, then divides again creating four daughter cells, each of which has half the genetic content of the original parent cell. |
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