fission

Meaning

Noun

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

Verb

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

Synonyms

nuclear fission

splitting

division

cleavage

disintegration

split

scission

breakup

disunion

divarication

dividing

forking

furcation

parting

rent

segmentation

severance

slit

smash

spallation

tear

tearing

atomic fission

binary division

branching

break

breaking up

decay

demarcation

disruption

dissociation

Translations

fission

fissione

fisión

fissão

Spaltung

Kernspaltung

fenditura

scissiparité

fissió

fission nucléaire

scissione

divisione

انشطار

Teilung

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈfɪʃən/

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fissiōnem, accusative singular of fissiō (“the act of breaking up”), from findō (“split, divide”).