the usual method of cell division, characterized typically by the resolving of the chromatin of the nucleus into a threadlike form, which condenses into chromosomes, each of which separates longitudinally into two parts, one part of each chromosome being retained in each of two new cells resulting from the original cell.
a method of cell division, in which the nucleus divides into daughter nuclei, each containing the same number of chromosomes as the parent nucleusCompare prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, meiosis (def. 1)
1887, coined in German from Greek mitos "warp thread" (see mitre) + Modern Latin -osis "act, process." Term introduced by German anatomist Walther Fleming (1843-1905) in 1882. So called because chromatin of the cell nucleus appears as long threads in the first stages.
The process in cell division by which the nucleus divides, typically in four stages (prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase) resulting in two new nuclei, each of which has exactly the same chromosome and DNA content as the original cell.indirect nuclear divisionkaryokinesismitotic division
The entire process of cell division including division of the nucleus and the cytoplasm.
Related formsmi•tot′ic (-tŏt′ĭk) adj.mi•tot′i•cal•lyadv.
The process in cell division in eukaryotes in which the nucleus divides to produce two new nuclei, each having the same number and type of chromosomes as the original. Prior to mitosis, each chromosome is replicated to form two identical strands (called chromatids). As mitosis begins, the chromosomes line up along the center of the cell by attaching to the fibers of the cell spindle. The pairs of chromatids then separate, each strand of a pair moving to an opposite end of the cell. When a new membrane forms around each of the two groups of chromosomes, division of the nucleus is complete. The four main phases of mitosis are prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Compare meiosis.
Division of a single cell into two identical “daughter” cells. Each daughter cell has an identical number of chromosomes as the parent cell. Mitosis begins when the DNA in the parent cell replicates itself; it ends with two cells having the same genes (seegenetics). Most cells in the human body, and all single-celled organisms, reproduce through mitosis. (Comparemeiosis.)
