| Library / English Dictionary |
OSMOSIS
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(biology, chemistry) diffusion of molecules through a semipermeable membrane from a place of higher concentration to a place of lower concentration until the concentration on both sides is equal
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("osmosis" is a kind of...):
diffusion ((physics) the process in which there is movement of a substance from an area of high concentration of that substance to an area of lower concentration)
Domain category:
biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)
chemical science; chemistry (the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "osmosis"):
reverse osmosis ((chemistry) a method of producing pure water; a solvent passes through a semipermeable membrane in a direction opposite to that for natural osmosis when it is subjected to a hydrostatic pressure greater than the osmotic pressure)
Holonyms ("osmosis" is a part of...):
dialysis (separation of substances in solution by means of their unequal diffusion through semipermeable membranes)
Derivation:
osmotic (of or relating to osmosis)
