n.
Pronunciation: ' te-l ə - ˌ f ā z, ' t ē -
Function: noun
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary
Date: 1895
1 : the final stage of mitosis and of the second division of meiosis in which the spindle disappears and the nuclear envelope reforms around each set of chromosomes
2 : the final stage in the first division of meiosis that may be missing in some organisms and is characterized by the gathering at opposite poles of the cell of half the original number of chromosomes including one from each homologous pair