osmosis

See also: ósmosis

English

Etymology

From "endosmose" and "exosmose", both coined by French physician Henri Dutrochet in 1826; from (respectively) Ancient Greek ἔνδον (éndon, “within”) and Ancient Greek ἔξω (éxō, “outer, external”), plus Ancient Greek ὠσμός (ōsmós, “push, impulsion”), from ὠθέω (ōthéō).

Pronunciation

• enPR: ŏz-mōˈ -sĭs, ŏs-mōˈ -sĭs
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɒzˈməʊsɪs/, /ɒsˈməʊsɪs/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɑzˈmoʊsɪs/, /ɑsˈmoʊsɪs/
• Rhymes: -əʊsɪs, -oʊsɪs

Noun

osmosis (countable and uncountable, plural osmoses)

1. (chemistry) The net movement of solvent molecules, usually water, from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration through a partially permeable membrane.
2. (figurative) Passive absorption or impartation of information, habits, etc.; the act of teaching or picking up knowledge incidentally, without actually seeking that particular knowledge.

   I was reading about chickens, and I guess I learned about hawks through osmosis.

   Synonym: serendipity

   • 1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust, 2001 Perennial paperback edition edition, pages 36-37:

     At age fourteen, by a process of osmosis, of dirty jokes, whispered secrets and filthy ballads, Tristram learned of sex.

Derived terms

• electroosmosis
• endosmosis
• exosmosis

Related terms

• osmotic
• osmose

Translations

movement of molecules

• Arabic: خَاصِّيَّة أُسْمُوزِيَّة‎ f (ḵāṣṣiyya(t) ʔusmūziyya, ḵāṣṣiyya(t) ʔusmōziyya), تَنَاضُح‎ m (tanāḍuḥ)
• Asturian: ósmosis f
• Bengali: অভিস্রবণ (obhisrobon)
• Bulgarian: осмоза f (osmoza)
• Catalan: osmosi f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 渗透 (zh) (shèntòu)

• Czech: osmóza f
• Danish: osmose (da) c
• Dutch: osmose (nl) f
• Esperanto: osmozo
• Finnish: osmoosi (fi)
• French: ^{(please verify)} osmose (fr) f
• Galician: osmose (gl) f
• German: ^{(please verify)} Osmose (de) f
• Greek: ώσμωση (el) (ósmosi)
• Gujarati: અભિસરણ (abhisaraṇ)
• Hindi: परासरण m (parāsaraṇ)
• Hungarian: ozmózis (hu)
• Icelandic: himnuflæði
• Indonesian: osmosis (id)
• Irish: osmóis f
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} osmosi (it) f
• Japanese: 浸透 (ja) (shintō)
• Khmer: អូស្មូស (ʼousmouh)
• Korean: 삼투 (ko) (samtu)
• Malayalam: വൃതിവ്യാപനം (ml) (vr̥tivyāpanaṃ)
• Maori: rerewai
• Persian: اسمز‎ (osmoz)
• Polish: osmoza f
• Portuguese: osmose (pt)
• Russian: о́смос (ru) m (ósmos)
• Shona: musenerera
• Spanish: ósmosis (es) f
• Swedish: osmos (sv) c
• Tagalog: pananagos
• Tamil: சவ்வூடு பரவல் (ta) (cavvūṭu paraval), பிரசாரணம் (piracāraṇam)
• Telugu: ద్రవాభిసరణం (te) (dravābhisaraṇaṁ)
• Thai: การออสโมสิส
• Vietnamese: sự thẩm thấu

picking up knowledge accidentally

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 耳濡目染 (zh) (ěrrúmùrǎn)

• Finnish: samalla (fi) (adverb: through osmosis)
• Polish: osmoza f
• Portuguese: osmose (pt) f