cell division

division /di·vi·sion/ (dĭ-vizh´un)

1. the act of separating into parts.

2. a section or part of a larger structure.

3. in the taxonomy of plants and fungi, a level of classification equivalent to the phylum of the animal kingdom.

---

cell division  fission of a cell.

direct cell division  see amitosis.

indirect cell division  see meiosis and mitosis.

maturation division  meiosis.

---

cell division

n.

The process by which a cell divides to form two daughter cells, each of which contains the same genetic material as the original cell and roughly half of its cytoplasm.

---

cell division,

the continuous process by which a cell alternates between a long interphase period and mitosis. Mitosis involves four stages: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Cell division does not occur in discrete steps: each phase is part of a continuous process that may require hours for its completion. During the interphase period new deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, and protein molecules are synthesized before the start of the next prophase. Compare meiosis. See also mitosis.

---

cell division

the process by which cells reproduce; fission of a cell.