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fissiparous

American  
[fi-sip-er-uhs] / fɪˈsɪp ər əs /

adjective

  1. reproducing by fission.


fissiparous British  
/ fɪˈsɪpərəs /

adjective

  1. biology reproducing by fission

  2. having a tendency to divide into groups or factions

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of fissiparous

First recorded in 1825–35; fissi- + -parous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

But the walkout threat is a marked escalation from an ordinarily fissiparous newsroom.

From Salon Dec. 8, 2022

The basic test of any leader, Republican or Democratic, is to get a grip on the inevitably fissiparous elements of his political herd.

From New York Times Sep. 29, 2017

The two are stepsisters-to-be—Tracy’s mother is set to marry Brooke’s father—and the slightness of that link feels right for the frail, fissiparous world that Baumbach likes to map.

From The New Yorker Aug. 24, 2015

Then there is the danger that Iraq's fissiparous character could drive it back into civil war.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 28, 2010

The league, in their view, was inherently fragile and fissiparous; if it had been founded a thousand years ago, it would have broken up well before the Pilgrims.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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