meiotically
|mei-o-tic-al-ly|
🇺🇸
/maɪˈoʊsɪs/
🇬🇧
/maɪˈəʊsɪs/
(meiotic)
relating to meiosis
Etymology
'meiotically' originates from New Latin/Modern scientific English, specifically from 'meiosis' (New Latin), where the Greek word 'meiōsis' (μείωσις) meant 'diminution' or 'lessening' (from the root 'mei-' / μειᾱ/ meaning 'to lessen').
'meiotically' developed from the noun 'meiosis' (borrowed into scientific New Latin from Greek), then formed into the adjective 'meiotic' by the addition of -ic, and finally into the adverb 'meiotically' with the suffix -ally in English scientific usage.
Initially 'meiosis' meant 'a lessening' or 'diminution' in Greek; over time the term came to denote a specific biological process (reduction division), and derivatives like 'meiotic' and 'meiotically' came to mean 'relating to' or 'in the manner of' that process.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a type of cell division (meiosis) that reduces the chromosome number by half, producing gametes or spores.
Meiosis ensures genetic variation through recombination and reduction of chromosome number.
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Adjective 1
relating to or characteristic of meiosis; resulting from or involving meiosis.
Meiotic processes are crucial during the formation of eggs and sperm.
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Last updated: 2025/08/29 02:21