Meiosis /(mī̇*ō"sĭs)/

Mei·o·sis

Meiosis

n.
  1. Diminution; a species of hyperbole, representing a thing as being less than it really is; understatement; see also litotes. (Rhet.)
  2. 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. (Cell Biology)