/ maɪˈəʊsɪs; NAmE -ˈoʊs-/ noun
[ U ] ( biology ) the division of a cell in two stages that results in four cells, each with half the number of chromosomes of the original cell
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (as another term for litotes ): modern Latin , from Greek meiōsis , from meioun lessen, from meiōn less. The current sense dates from the early 20th cent.