litotes, meiosis
(noun) understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary); âsaying âI was not a little upsetâ when you mean âI was very upsetâ is an example of litotesâ
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
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.
• (rhetoric): See understatement
• (cytology): reduction division
• (rhetoric): See hyperbole
• (cytology): mitosis
• (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
2 June 2025
(noun) status with respect to the relations between people or groups; âon good terms with her in-lawsâ; âon a friendly footingâ
The worldâs most expensive coffee costs more than US$700 per kilogram. Asian palm civet â a cat-like creature in Indonesia, eats fruits, including select coffee cherries. It excretes partially digested seeds that produce a smooth, less acidic brew of coffee called kopi luwak.
