meiosis
Chromosome-halving cell division
Meiosis is a type of cell division that produces reproductive cells (gametes) with half the normal number of chromosomes.
When egg and sperm unite, the full chromosome count is restored.
In rhetoric, meiosis is deliberate understatement for effect—calling a fatal wound "a scratch" or a mansion "a little place." Both senses involve reduction by half or minimization.
Chromosomal pairing in meiosis
- tetradGroup of four units
- bivalentHaving valence of two
- diploidTwo complete chromosome sets
- haploidSingle chromosome complement
centromere · recombination · alleles · loci · karyotype · autosomes
Gamete fusion creating zygote
- zygoteFirst embryonic cell
- ovumFemale reproductive cell
- gametesReproductive cells for fusion
- eggReproductive cell in shell
sperm · conception · life-cycle · ovulation · pollination · spore · embryo · offspring
Reproductive cells for fusion
- spermatogenesisMale gamete formation
- oogenesisFemale reproductive cell development
- cytokinesisCytoplasmic division after mitosis
- chromatinNuclear protein-wrapped genetic material
Intentional diminishment for effect
- litotesUnderstatement via negation
- diminutionReduction in size
- belittlementVerbal diminishing of worth
- downplayingDiminishing perceived significance
minimization · irony · euphemism · hyperbole · negation
Property received from ancestors
- alleleGene variant at one locus
- genotypeOrganism's complete allele set
- phenotypeObservable characteristics of organism
- recombinationGenetic material exchange process
linkage · Mendelian · segregation · recessive · dominant · gene · mutation · heritability
Mixing distinct genetic lines
- crossbreedingMating unlike organisms
- cultivarsHuman-developed plant varieties
- strainsVarieties, injuries, or sifts
- varietiesDistinct forms within category
propagation · lineage · pedigree · purebreds · horticulture · domestication · outcrossing · inbreeding
synapsis
Chromosomal pairing in meiosis
haploid · centromere · recombination · alleles · loci · karyotype · autosomes
fertilization
Gamete fusion creating zygote
egg · sperm · conception · life-cycle · ovulation · pollination · spore · embryo · offspring · progeny
gametes
Reproductive cells for fusion
- spermatogenesisMale gamete formation
- oogenesisFemale reproductive cell development
- cytokinesisCytoplasmic division after mitosis
understatement
Intentional diminishment for effect
- litotesUnderstatement via negation
- diminutionReduction in size
- belittlementVerbal diminishing of worth
downplaying · minimization · irony · euphemism · hyperbole · negation
inheritance
Property received from ancestors
- alleleGene variant at one locus
- genotypeOrganism's complete allele set
- phenotypeObservable characteristics of organism
recombination · linkage · Mendelian · segregation · recessive · dominant · gene · mutation · heritability · monohybrid
hybridization
Mixing distinct genetic lines
- crossbreedingMating unlike organisms
- cultivarsHuman-developed plant varieties
- strainsVarieties, injuries, or sifts
varieties · propagation · lineage · pedigree · purebreds · horticulture · domestication · outcrossing · inbreeding · backcross
- cell biologycell membrane, cell division, cytoplasm, ribosome, mitochondria
- cell divisioncytokinesis, binary fission, prophase, metaphase, anaphase
- biologycells, DNA, cell, biology, gene
- growthgrowth, grow, growing, growth rate, increase
- cellscells, blood cell, cell theory, nerve cell, red blood cell
- evolutionevolution, natural selection, mutation, adaptation, speciation
meiosismitosis
Nuclear division producing identical cells
asexual reproduction · cloning · binary fission · fertilization · budding
meiosishyperbole
Rhetorical extreme exaggeration
overstatement · exaggeration · amplification · magnification · embellishment