FISSION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fission mean? 

• FISSION (noun)
  The noun FISSION has 2 senses:

1. reproduction of some unicellular organisms by division of the cell into two more or less equal parts

2. a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy

  Familiarity information: FISSION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FISSION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Reproduction of some unicellular organisms by division of the cell into two more or less equal parts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("fission" is a kind of...):

agamogenesis; asexual reproduction (reproduction without the fusion of gametes)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fission"):

schizogony (asexual reproduction by multiple fission; characteristic of many sporozoan protozoans)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

fission; nuclear fission

Hypernyms ("fission" is a kind of...):

nuclear reaction ((physics) a process that alters the energy or structure or composition of atomic nuclei)

 Context examples 

Gamma radiation frequently accompanies alpha and beta emissions and always accompanies fission.

(Gamma Radiation, NCI Thesaurus)

A group of genetically identical cells all descended from a single common ancestral cell by mitosis in eukaryotes or by binary fission in prokaryotes.

(Cell Clone, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Chk1, a protein kinase involved in the DNA damage checkpoint response in fission yeast, has been shown to phosphorylate cdc25 at Ser216 in vitro.

(CDC25 and CHK1 Regulatory Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Cesium Cs 137 is prevalent due to its spontaneous production, which occurs as a result of nuclear fission of other radioactive materials, such as uranium and plutonium.

(Cesium Cs 137, NCI Thesaurus)