metaphase

 Term: metaphase  

Literally meaning: “after appearance”

Origin: Anc Greek



μετά/meta(=after, next to)

φάσις/phasis(=stage) > φάσκω/phasko(=imperfect tense of verb “φημί/phemi(=to appear, to show, to manifest, to aver)

Coined/History

Eduard Strasburger (1844- 1912)

In 1884 the famous German botanist, Eduard Strasburger (1844- 1912) coined the terms prophase, metaphase, and anaphase for the different stages of cell division. He used the term metaphase in order to define the stage of nulear division after the chromosomes have divided into chromatids although  about 1905 he realized that the chromosomes are already double when nuclear division begins.

 Definition

Metaphase is a stage of mitosis and meiosis (following prophase and preceding anaphase) of eucaryotic cells in which condensed chromosomes align in the middle of the cell (metaphase plate) before being separated into each of the two daughter cells.