multiple fission

American

noun

Biology.

fission into more than two new organisms.

multiple fission British

noun

zoology asexual reproduction in unicellular organisms, esp sporozoans, in which the nucleus divides a number of times, followed by division of the cytoplasm, to form daughter cells

"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

Etymology

Origin of multiple fission

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

Some protists such as the true slime molds exhibit multiple fission and simultaneously divide into many daughter cells.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Most are capable some form of asexual reproduction, such as binary fission to produce two daughter cells, or multiple fission to divide simultaneously into many daughter cells.

From Textbooks • Apr. 25, 2013

Ligni�res has observed a kind of multiple fission in the stomach, several very minute bodies, consisting mostly of chromatin, being formed, which may serve for endogenous reproduction.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7 "Gyantse" to "Hallel" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023