osmosis
12
5.8
- noun
- /ɑːzˈmoʊsɪs/
- Specialized
:
ósmosis
- Ordinarily, seawater kills by osmosis: sucking the fresh water out of plants.
- reverse osmosis
- osmosis membrane
- process of osmosis
Examples
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The scientist explained osmosis as the movement of water through a semipermeable membrane, balancing the concentrations on either side.
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In biology class, we learned that osmosis helps maintain the right balance of water in our cells.
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I do not gain those ideas by osmosis simply because I blog here.
Blog text (7) -
But I can point you to a nice you to lecture where you can learn about osmosis in biology.
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You were absorbing it off the page through osmosis.
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Poverty certainly does not engender faith by osmosis; something else is clearly required.
Academic text (1994) -
We absorb the critical parts of culture by osmosis, beginning at pre-verbal ages.
Blog text (28) -
Only by osmosis and ambition could I claim a relationship with that brilliant constellation of minds.
Academic text (2000) -
And reverse osmosis is the overwhelming choice when it comes to desalination methods.
Academic text (2004) -
By understanding osmosis, we can better appreciate how plants absorb water from the soil through their roots.
Idioms
Compounds
- Specialized
1
4.5
A process that makes water clean by forcing it through a thin layer to stop salt and dirt
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
osmosis = osmo + osis
Formed from Greek combining form 'osmo-' + '-osis'; these are not productive standalone English words for average learners, so the meaning cannot be reliably derived from the parts.
Etymology
The word osmosis comes from the Greek root osm- meaning 'push' or 'thrust' and the ending -osis meaning 'a process'. So osmosis is like a slow 'push' of water through a thin wall that moves water from the side with more to the side with less, helping the amounts become even on both sides.