fission
noun/ˈfɪʃn/
/ˈfɪʃn/
[uncountable]- (also nuclear fission)(physics) the act or process of splitting the nucleus (= central part) of an atom, when a large amount of energy is released compare fusionTopics Physics and chemistryc2
- (biology) the division of cells as a method of producing new cellsTopics Biologyc2
Word Originearly 17th cent.: from Latin fissio(n-), from findere ‘to split’.
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fission