anaphase

American  

[an-uh-feyz] / ˈæn əˌfeɪz /

noun

Biology.

1. the stage in mitosis or meiosis following metaphase in which the daughter chromosomes move away from each other to opposite ends of the cell.

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anaphase British  

/ ˈænəˌfeɪz /

noun

1. the third stage of mitosis, during which the chromatids separate and migrate towards opposite ends of the spindle See also prophase metaphase telophase

2. the corresponding stage of the first division of meiosis

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anaphase Scientific  

/ ăn′ə-fāz′ /

1. The stage of cell division in mitosis or meiosis in which the doubled set of chromosomes separates into two identical groups that move to opposite ends of the cell. Anaphase is preceded by metaphase and followed by telophase.

2. See more at meiosis mitosis

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Other Word Forms

• anaphasic adjective

Etymology

Origin of anaphase

First recorded in 1885–90; ana- + phase

Explanation

Anaphase is a stage in cell division that happens towards the end of mitosis. During anaphase, chromosomes move away from each other. Your biology teacher probably has a lot to say about anaphase, which comes after metaphase and before telophase during mitosis. Anaphase is important because the movement of chromosomes to the outer edges of the cell paves the way for cell division, when one cell actually splits into two completely separate cells. Anaphase was first coined in German, from the Greek ana-, "back."

Example Sentences

During anaphase II, as in mitotic anaphase, the kinetochores divide and one sister chromatid—now referred to as a chromosome—is pulled to one pole while the other sister chromatid is pulled to the other pole.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Aberrations caused when a pair of homologous chromosomes fails to separate during anaphase I or when sister chromatids fail to separate during anaphase II, the daughter cells will inherit unequal numbers of chromosomes.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

In prometaphase II, microtubules attach to the kinetochores of sister chromatids, and the sister chromatids are arranged at the midpoint of the cells in metaphase II. In anaphase II, the sister chromatids are separated.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

These steps are homologous chromosome pairing, crossover exchanges, sister chromatids remaining attached during anaphase, and suppression of DNA replication in interphase.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

First spermatocyte, late anaphase, showing the heterochromosomes l and s.

From Studies in Spermatogenesis Part II by Stevens, Nettie Maria