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binary fission

American  

noun

Biology.
  1. fission into two organisms approximately equal in size.


binary fission British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of binary fission

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

In protists, binary fission can be divided into transverse or longitudinal, depending on the axis of orientation; sometimes Paramecium exhibit this method.

From Textbooks Jan. 1, 2015

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

From Textbooks Jan. 1, 2015

This type of cell division is called binary fission.

From Textbooks Apr. 25, 2013

Rather, the chromosome loop is replicated, and the two resulting copies attached to the plasma membrane move apart as the cell grows in a process called binary fission.

From Textbooks Apr. 25, 2013

They must still be described as minute spheres, rods, or spirals, with no further discernible structure, sometimes motile and sometimes stationary, sometimes producing spores and sometimes not, and multiplying universally by binary fission.

From The Story of Germ Life by H. W. (Herbert William) Conn

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