: the presentation of a thing with underemphasis especially in order to achieve a greater effect : understatement
2
: the cellular process that results in the number of chromosomes in gamete-producing cells being reduced to one half and that involves a reduction division in which one of each pair of homologous chromosomes passes to each daughter cell and a mitotic division compare mitosis
Recent Examples on the WebAnd rearrangements are typically not advantageous: During meiosis and the formation of gametes, all chromosomes need to pair up with a matching partner.Quanta Magazine, 2 Feb. 2022 In automixis, small cells called polar bodies – also produced through meiosis with eggs – can merge with an egg to produce offspring and create offspring that are similar to the mother but not exact clones. Julia Musto, Fox News, 20 Aug. 2021 Ovaries produce eggs through a complex process called meiosis, where the cells replicate, reorganize, and separate. Corryn Wetzel, National Geographic, 25 Aug. 2020 At the heart of this transaction is a process called meiosis, where chromosomes inherited from each parent pair up and swap pieces.Quanta Magazine, 19 Nov. 2014 Most animals have chromosomes made of two nearly identical copies of each gene, a consequence of the pairing and mixing that goes on during meiosis.Quanta Magazine, 19 Nov. 2014 Recombination is a process in which the maternal and paternal copies of chromosomes exchange blocks of DNA with each other during meiosis, the production of sperm and egg cells.Quanta Magazine, 8 Nov. 2018 The experiment did not work in males, likely because spermatogonia go through normal mitotic cell division before meiosis, stymying HDR. Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, 10 July 2018 The chromosomes naturally swap DNA during meiosis, and during those exchanges the cell only allows HDR. Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, 10 July 2018 See More
Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Greek meiōsis diminution, from meioun to diminish, from meiōn less; akin to Sanskrit mīyate he diminishes