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

Cell division involves the addition of new cell walls, which alter the mechanical stress in the cell, its geometry and the mechanical properties of the surrounding tissue.

From Science Daily • Oct. 2, 2023

Cell division accounts for most of the growth at the beginning of a fruit’s life, Grumet says.

From Scientific American • Oct. 28, 2022

Cell division is tightly regulated, and the occasional failure of regulation can have life-threatening consequences.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Cell division tends to slow down after the age of 200, they found.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2020

Cell division allows us as organisms to grow, to adapt, to recover, to repair – to live.

From The Guardian • Jan. 17, 2011