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
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CHATTEL
(noun) personal as opposed to real property; any tangible movable property (furniture or domestic animals or a car etc)
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