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Anatomy & Physiology vocabulary · Physiological Processes

Osmosis

Meaning in anatomy & physiology, with examples

/ɑːzˈmoʊsɪs/nounCommon term

In anatomy & physiology, osmosis means: The movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from a more dilute solution into a more concentrated one, until the two sides become more equal.

In Turkish: osmoz

How it is used

A special kind of diffusion that involves water only. Related terms are osmotic pressure and tonicity: isotonic, hypotonic and hypertonic solutions. A classic exam question asks what happens to red blood cells placed in pure water.

Example sentences

  1. In pure water, red blood cells swell and burst because water enters them by osmosis.

  2. In the collecting ducts, water leaves the urine by osmosis and returns to the blood.

Common collocations

  • by osmosis
  • osmotic pressure
  • isotonic solution
  • hypotonic solution
  • diffusionThe movement of particles from an area where they are more concentrated to an area where they are less concentrated, without the cell using energy. Oxygen enters the blood in the lungs this way.
  • cell membraneThe thin, flexible layer that surrounds every cell and controls what enters and leaves it. It is made mainly of a double layer of phospholipids with proteins set into it.
  • kidneyOne of the two bean-shaped organs at the back of the abdomen that filter the blood, remove waste and extra water as urine, and help to control blood pressure and salt balance.
  • red blood cellA disc-shaped blood cell that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues using the protein hemoglobin. Mature red blood cells have no nucleus and live for about 120 days.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Physiological Processes

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.