how did mitosis get its name?

Answer 1

It's from the Greek for "warped thread". Being warped in this case means to be twisted, and that's the first things that the chromatin (the genetic material in a loose, disorganiszed state) does during prophase - it twists and constricts itself in a more compact form of the chromatid (the "X" that people picture when they hear "chromosome"). The condensed form keeps the chromosome from being accidentally tangled and broken as it would likely be with all the other chromosomes moving into the different cells during metaphase and telophase.