cell division

noun

, Biology.

1. the division of a cell in reproduction or growth.

cell division

noun

1. cytology the division of a cell into two new cells during growth or reproduction See amitosis meiosis mitosis

cell division

1. The process by which a cell divides into two or more cells. Among prokaryotes, cell division occurs by simple fission. Among eukaryotes, the cell nucleus divides first, and then a new cell membrane is formed between the nuclei to form the new cell. Cell division is used as a means of reproduction in organisms that reproduce asexually, as by fission or spore formation, and sexually reproducing organisms form gametes through cell division. Cell division is also the source of tissue growth and repair in multicellular organisms. The two types of cell division in eukaryotic organisms are mitosis and meiosis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cell division¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The awe-inspiring process of cell division can turn a fertilized egg into a baby -- or a cancerous cell into a malignant tumor.

From Science Daily

Previous studies had found that a few cell cycle proteins, called cyclins, were active during cilia growth, as well as centrioles, which anchor the two sets of chromosomes during cell division.

From Science Daily

For one, this alternative cell cycle, or "multiciliation cycle," as the scientists dubbed it, was producing an unusually high number of centrioles, much more than the four centrioles made during cell division.

From Science Daily

The scientists then found that multiciliated cells that lacked E2F7 started to synthesize new DNA -- a hallmark of cell division.

From Science Daily

"Evolution clearly has adapted the cell cycle to carry out a variety of cellular projects well beyond cell division," said Reiter.

From Science Daily