Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Fission

Fis′sion

,
Noun.
[L.
fissio
. See
Fissure
.]
1.
A cleaving, splitting, or breaking up into parts.
2.
(Biol.)
A method of asexual reproduction among the lowest (unicellular) organisms by means of a process of self-division, consisting of gradual division or cleavage of the into two parts, each of which then becomes a separate and independent organisms; as when a cell in an animal or plant, or its germ, undergoes a spontaneous division, and the parts again subdivide. See
Segmentation
, and
Cell division
, under
Division
.
3.
(Zool.)
A process by which certain coral polyps, echinoderms, annelids, etc., spontaneously subdivide, each individual thus forming two or more new ones. See
Strobilation
.

Definition 2024


fission

fission

English

Noun

fission (countable and uncountable, plural fissions)

  1. The process whereby one item splits to become two.
  2. (physics) The process of splitting the nucleus of an atom into smaller particles; nuclear fission
  3. (biology) The process by which a bacterium splits to form two daughter cells.

Antonyms

  • (process of splitting the nucleus of an atom): fusion

Translations

Derived terms

Verb

fission (third-person singular simple present fissions, present participle fissioning, simple past and past participle fissioned)

  1. To cause to undergo fission.
  2. (intransitive) To undergo fission.

Translations


Finnish

Noun

fission

  1. Genitive singular form of fissio.

French

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin fissiō, fissiōnem.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fi.sjɔ̃/

Noun

fission f (plural fissions)

  1. (chiefly physics) fission