cell division

American  

noun

Biology.

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

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cell division British  

noun

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

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cell division Scientific  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of cell division

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The Y chromosome is especially vulnerable during cell division.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2026

In this way, MraZ acts as the key regulator controlling the activity of the operon that governs cell division in most bacterial species.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

Dynamic protein behavior is essential for many biological processes, including sensing environmental changes, making decisions inside cells, and controlling cell division.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

They redesigned the yeast cell cycle so that cell division depended on the behavior of the protein being evolved.

From Science Daily • Mar. 9, 2026

They played the film at high speed so they could watch cell division on the screen in one smooth motion, like a story unfolding in a flip book.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot