noun
Rare biological term for the cell division process that reduces chromosome number by half; synonymous with the more common 減数分裂.
See also: 減数分裂
還元分裂は配偶子形成の際に起こる。
Meiosis occurs during gamete formation.
減数分裂 is the standard modern term for meiosis; 還元分裂 is a rare synonym used mainly in older or specialized biological texts.
Compound of 還元 (reduction, return to origin) and 分裂 (division, splitting), describing the reduction of chromosome number during meiosis. The exact origin of the term is uncertain, but it likely arose in early Japanese biological terminology.