cell division

noun

Biology.

1. the division of a cell in reproduction or growth.

cell division

noun

1. cytology the division of a cell into two new cells during growth or reproduction See amitosis meiosis mitosis

cell division

1. The process by which a cell divides into two or more cells. Among prokaryotes, cell division occurs by simple fission. Among eukaryotes, the cell nucleus divides first, and then a new cell membrane is formed between the nuclei to form the new cell. Cell division is used as a means of reproduction in organisms that reproduce asexually, as by fission or spore formation, and sexually reproducing organisms form gametes through cell division. Cell division is also the source of tissue growth and repair in multicellular organisms. The two types of cell division in eukaryotic organisms are mitosis and meiosis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cell division¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

That gene makes the gut of the female about 20% bigger than the gut in male fruit flies, and makes the female more prone to tumors by activating proteins that cause cell division.

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When a sea anemone's foot was injured, Cheung observed not only cell division at the wound site but also unexpected cell division at the opposite end of the body -- the mouth area.

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Cells only survived for an average of about five more cell divisions after hitting this threshold.

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In cyanobacteria, the cell division cycle, the process through which one cell grows and divides into two new cells, acts as the 'carrier signal'.

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The awe-inspiring process of cell division can turn a fertilized egg into a baby -- or a cancerous cell into a malignant tumor.

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