Term: meiosis https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.M03818 Definition: The reductive cell division which results in daughter cells containing one copy of each of the chromosomes of the parent. The entire meiotic process involves two separate divisions (meiosis I and meiosis II). The first division is a true reductive division with the chromosomes number being halved, whereas the second division resembles mitosis in many ways. Thus, a diploid parental cell will give rise to haploid daughter cells (cf. ploidy). Related Terms: 1) chromosome (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.C01077). 2) ploidy (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.P04696). 3) mitosis (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.M03938). Source: PAC, 1992, 64, 143. 'Glossary for chemists of terms used in biotechnology (IUPAC Recommendations 1992)' on page 159 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199264010143) Citation: 'meiosis' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.M03818 License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms. Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.