Meaning & use
meiosis
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Meaning
noununcountablebiologytechnical
A type of cell division that produces reproductive cells with half the usual number of chromosomes.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural; it names the process, not one event.
Patterns
- meiosis occurs
- during meiosis
- the process of meiosis
Meiosis produces sperm and egg cells, each with half the normal chromosome number.
In meiosis, chromosomes are copied once but the cell divides twice.
Errors during meiosis can lead to genetic disorders.
Common combinations
- meiosis occurs
- Meiosis occurs only in reproductive organs.
- during meiosis
- Crossing over happens during meiosis.
- meiosis and mitosis
- Students often confuse meiosis and mitosis.
- meiosis produces gametes
- Meiosis produces gametes with half the chromosome number.
Synonyms and how they differ
- reduction division
- A less common term for meiosis, emphasizing that the chromosome number is halved.
Opposites
Word family
- meiotic adjective
- Relating to meiosis.
Commonly confused: meiosis or mitosis? meiosis or miosis?
meiosis vs mitosis
Mitosis produces identical cells for growth and repair; meiosis produces reproductive cells with half the chromosomes.
meiosis vs miosis
Miosis is the narrowing of the pupil of the eye, a medical term.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'meiosis' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Meiosis is a type of cell division that halves the chromosome number to form reproductive cells. Option 1 describes photosynthesis; option 2 describes miosis (pupil narrowing); option 3 describes mitosis, which makes identical cells.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “meiosis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.