osmosis.

1. Net movement of a solvent through a selectively permeable membrane, driven by a difference in the solvent’s chemical potential.

2. The gradual acquisition of ideas, habits, or knowledge through close exposure rather than deliberate study.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• water moving by osmosis
• osmotic pressure
• reverse osmosis

On the page

Water entered the cells by osmosis under the changed external conditions.

The engineer used reverse osmosis to oppose the natural direction of solvent flow.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.