wikipedia
English
Etymology
Modern Latin, from AGr. polytonic|μεί��ι� (mei�sis) "a lessening" < polytonic|μει�� (meio�) "I lessen" < polytonic|μεί�ν (mei�n) "less".
Pronunciation
IPA|/maɪ���sɪs/
rhymes|��sɪs
Noun
meiosis (plural meioses)
- rhetoric a figure of speech whereby something is made to seem smaller or less important than it is
#:*1965: I knew, with one of those secret knowledges that can exist between two people, that her suicide was a direct result of my having told her of my own attempt � I had told it with a curt meiosis that was meant to conceal depths; and she had called my bluff one final time. � John Fowles, The Magus
- cytology Cell division of a diploid cell into four haploid cells, which develop to produce gametes.
Derived terms
meiotic
meiotically
Antonyms
hyperbole
See also
auxesis
litotes
mitosis
paradiastole
Translations
trans-top|cell division
Dutch: t|nl|meiose|f
Finnish: t|fi|meioosi
German: t|de|Meiose|f
Greek: t|el|μεί��η|f|sc=Grek
trans-mid
Hungarian: t-|hu|meiózis
Turkish: mayoz
trans-bottom
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