MEIOSIS
litotes, meiosis
(noun) understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary); “saying ‘I was not a little upset’ when you mean ‘I was very upset’ is an example of litotes”
meiosis, miosis, reduction division
(noun) (genetics) cell division that produces reproductive cells in sexually reproducing organisms; the nucleus divides into four nuclei each containing half the chromosome number (leading to gametes in animals and spores in plants)
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
meiosis (countable and uncountable, plural meioses)
(countable, rhetoric) A figure of speech whereby something is made to seem smaller or less important than it actually is; understatement.
(uncountable, cytology) Cell division of a diploid cell into four haploid cells, which develop to produce gametes.
Synonyms
• (rhetoric): See understatement
• (cytology): reduction division
Antonyms
• (rhetoric): See hyperbole
• (cytology): mitosis
Meronyms
• (cytology): prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, reduction division, equation division
Source: Wiktionary
Mei*o"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Meionite.] (Rhet.)
Definition: Diminution; a species of hyperbole, representing a thing as being less than it really is.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
29 March 2025
THOUGHTLESS
(adjective) without care or thought for others; “the thoughtless saying of a great princess on being informed that the people had no bread; ‘Let them eat cake’”
Do you know this game?
Wordscapes is a popular word game consistently in the top charts of both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The Android version has more than 10 million installs. This guide will help you get more coins in less than two minutes of playing the game. Continue reading Wordscapes: Get More Coins