mitosis

noun

mi·​to·​sis mī-ˈtō-səs How to pronounce mitosis (audio)
plural mitoses mī-ˈtō-ˌsēz How to pronounce mitosis (audio)
1
: a process that takes place in the nucleus of a dividing cell, involves typically a series of steps consisting of prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, and results in the formation of two new nuclei each having the same number of chromosomes as the parent nucleus compare meiosis
2
: cell division in which mitosis occurs

Examples of mitosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Treating a cannabis plant with a natural chemical disrupts mitosis, leading to the creation of extra chromosomes without cell division. Dario Sabaghi, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Very soon after conception, your fertilized egg begins to divide into multiple cells, and those cells divide as well, a process called mitosis. ​wendy Wisner, Parents, 18 Nov. 2023 For a daily and microscopic process, mitosis is an astonishingly beautiful dance. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2010 Cell mitosis takes place over three to five days, as your zygote makes its way through your fallopian tube. ​wendy Wisner, Parents, 18 Nov. 2023 The researchers focused on an important part of cell division, or mitosis, during which two daughter cells created through cell division are placed in the proper orientation within the tissue. Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 12 Jan. 2016 The floating ball vibrated a little each time one of its cells completed mitosis, splitting from one cell into two daughter cells. Amos Zeeberg (discover Web Editor), Discover Magazine, 15 July 2010 But now Matrix has divided, as if by mitosis. John Archibald | Jarchibald@al.com, al, 8 Sep. 2021 Clearly, mitosis already has all the makings of a good drama. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 31 Mar. 2010

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mitosis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Mitosis (later Mitose), from Greek mítos "length of thread, cord used to separate warp threads" (of uncertain origin) + -ōsis -osis

Note: Term coined by the German biologist Walther Flemming (1843-1905) in Zellsubstanz, Kern und Zelltheilung (Leipzig, 1882), p. 376. Flemming introduces the word first in the compound Karyomitosis as a replacement for Karyokinesis to denote specifically "the metamorphosis of threads in the nucleus" ("Fadenmetamorphose im Kern"). In following sentences he uses the truncated form in the plural Mitosen for mitotic figures ("Kerntheilungsfiguren," i.e, the spindle-shaped figures presented by the chromosomes during mitosis) and in the singular Mitosis for the process of division.

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mitosis was in 1887

Dictionary Entries Near mitosis

Cite this Entry

“Mitosis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mitosis. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mitosis

noun
mi·​to·​sis mī-ˈtō-səs How to pronounce mitosis (audio)
plural mitoses -ˈtō-ˌsēz How to pronounce mitosis (audio)
1
: a process that takes place in the nucleus of a dividing cell and that results in the formation of two new nuclei with the same number of chromosomes as the parent nucleus compare meiosis
2
: a cell division in which mitosis occurs
mitotic adjective

Medical Definition

mitosis

noun
mi·​to·​sis mī-ˈtō-səs How to pronounce mitosis (audio)
plural mitoses -ˌsēz How to pronounce mitosis (audio)
1
: a process that takes place in the nucleus of a dividing cell, involves typically a series of steps consisting of prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, and results in the formation of two new nuclei each having the same number of chromosomes as the parent nucleus compare meiosis
2
: cell division in which mitosis occurs
mitotic adjective
mitotically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on mitosis

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