Meiosis

How it is used

Has two rounds of division, meiosis I and meiosis II. Variation comes from crossing over between homologous chromosomes and from independent assortment. Pronounced my-OH-sis. The adjective is meiotic.

Example sentences

1. Meiosis in humans produces gametes with 23 chromosomes instead of 46.

2. Crossing over during meiosis is one reason why brothers and sisters look different.

Common collocations

• meiosis I
• meiosis II
• undergo meiosis
• crossing over
• meiotic division

Related terms

• mitosisA type of cell division in which one cell produces two daughter cells with the same number of chromosomes and the same genetic information as the parent cell.
• gameteA reproductive cell, such as a sperm or egg cell, that carries half the normal number of chromosomes. Two gametes join during fertilization to form a zygote.
• chromosomeA long, tightly packed structure of DNA and proteins that carries many genes. Human body cells normally have 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs.
• sexual reproductionA form of reproduction in which two gametes, usually from two parents, fuse to form a new individual with a unique mix of genes.
• alleleOne of the different versions of the same gene. For example, a gene for flower color may have one allele for purple flowers and another for white.

More terms: Genetics and Heredity

• DNA
• gene
• trait
• mutation
• genotype
• phenotype
• dominant
• recessive
• inherit
• RNA
• nucleotide
• gene expression