osmosis

noun os·mo·sis \äz-ˈmō-səs, äs-\

biology : the process that causes a liquid (especially water) to pass through the wall of a living cell

: an ability to learn and understand things gradually without much effort

Full Definition of OSMOSIS

: movement of a solvent (as water) through a semipermeable membrane (as of a living cell) into a solution of higher solute concentration that tends to equalize the concentrations of solute on the two sides of the membrane

: a process of absorption or diffusion suggestive of the flow of osmotic action; especially : a usually effortless often unconscious assimilation <learned a number of languages by osmosis — Roger Kimball>

See osmosis defined for English-language learners

See osmosis defined for kids

Origin of OSMOSIS

New Latin, short for endosmosis

First Known Use: 1867

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

Rhymes with OSMOSIS

cirrhosis, hypnosis, kenosis, lordosis, meiosis, miosis, mitosis, narcosis, necrosis, neurosis, orthosis, prognosis, psychosis, sclerosis, stenosis, thrombosis

OSMOSIS Defined for Kids

osmosis

noun os·mo·sis \äs-ˈmō-səs, äz-\

Definition of OSMOSIS for Kids

: a passing of material and especially water through a membrane (as of a living cell) that will not allow all kinds of molecules to pass

Medical Dictionary

osmosis

noun os·mo·sis \äz-ˈmō-səs, äs-\

plural os·mo·ses \-ˌsēz\

Medical Definition of OSMOSIS

: movement of a solvent through a semipermeable membrane (as of a living cell) into a solution of higher solute concentration that tends to equalize the concentrations of solute on the two sides of the membrane