Meiosis
Meiosis (mi*ō"sis) , noun
[New Latin, from Greek mei`wsis, from meioy^n to make smaller, from mei`wn. See Meionite.]
1.
(Rhetoric) Diminution; a species of hyperbole, representing a thing as being less than it really is; understatement; see also litotes.
2.
(Cell Biology) The cellular process by which a diploid progenitor cell forms haploid gametes, including a division of one diploid cell into two cells, each with one of the homologous sets of chromosomes.