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osmosis

Pronunciation: /ɒzˈməʊsɪs/

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Definition of osmosis

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1 Biology & Chemistry a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one.
  • 2the process of gradual or unconscious assimilation of ideas, knowledge, etc.:by some strange political osmosis, private reputations became public

Derivatives

osmotic

Pronunciation: /-ˈmɒtɪk/

adjective

osmotically

Pronunciation: /-ˈmɒtɪk(ə)li/

adverb

Origin:

mid 19th century: Latinized form of earlier osmose, from Greek ōsmos 'a push'

osmosis in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of osmosis in the US English dictionary