GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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Found one definition

1.       
   ‖Meiosis (mī́‑ōˈsĭs), n. [NL., fr. Gr. μείωσις, fr. μειοῦν to make smaller, from μείων. See Meionite.]
   1. (Rhet.) Diminution; a species of hyperbole, representing a thing as being less than it really is; understatement; see also litotes.
   
   [1913 Webster +PJC]
   
   
   2. (Cell Biology) The cellular process by which a diploid progenitor cell forms haploid gametes, including a division of one diploid cell into two cells, each with one of the homologous sets of chromosomes.
   
   [PJC]