binary fission

American  

noun

Biology.

1. fission into two organisms approximately equal in size.

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binary fission British  

noun

1. asexual reproduction in unicellular organisms by division into two daughter cells

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Etymology

Origin of binary fission

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The micronucleus is essential for sexual reproduction, whereas the macronucleus directs asexual binary fission and all other biological functions.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Bacteria are prokaryotes that reproduce largely by binary fission.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

It is in some ways analogous to the process of binary fission of single-celled prokaryotic organisms.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Mitochondria divide on their own by a process that resembles binary fission in prokaryotes.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

This organism is remarkable in one or two ways: it possesses a contractile vacuole; the amoeboid trophozoites tend to form plasmodia; and the spores, of the usual simple type, may apparently divide by binary fission.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various