Meanings
plural osmoses
- countablefigurativelyuncountablePassive absorption or impartation of information, habits, etc.; the process of teaching or learning particular knowledge incidentally rather than consciously.
Near-synonym: serendipity
2 more examples
I was reading about chickens, and I guess I learned about hawks through osmosis.
At age fourteen, by a process of osmosis, of dirty jokes, whispered secrets and filthy ballads, Tristram learned of sex.
1999, Neil Gaiman, Stardust (Perennial paperback), published 2001, pages 36–37Synonyms: serendipity
Synonyms & antonyms
nounPassive absorption or impartation of information, habits, etc.; the process of teaching or learning particular knowledge incidentally rather than consciously.
Origin
- Ancient Greekὠσμός“push, impulsion”
- Ancient Greekἔξω“outer, external”
- Ancient Greekἔνδον“within”
- Englishosmosis
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).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic خَاصِّيَّة أُسْمُوزِيَّة, تَنَاضُح
- خَاصِّيَّة أُسْمُوزِيَّة (ḵāṣṣiyya ʔusmūziyya, ḵāṣṣiyya ʔusmōziyya)movement of molecules across a membrane
- تَنَاضُح (tanāḍuḥ)movement of molecules across a membrane
Bengali অভিস্রবণ
- অভিস্রবণ (obhisrobon)movement of molecules across a membrane
Bulgarian осмоза
- осмоза (osmoza)movement of molecules across a membrane
Catalan osmosi
- osmosimovement of molecules across a membrane
Chinese Mandarin 渗透, 耳濡目染
- 渗透 (shèntòu)movement of molecules across a membrane
- 耳濡目染 (ěrrúmùrǎn)picking up knowledge accidentally
Czech osmóza
- osmózamovement of molecules across a membrane
Danish osmose
- osmosemovement of molecules across a membrane
Dutch osmose
- osmosemovement of molecules across a membrane
Esperanto osmozo
- osmozomovement of molecules across a membrane
Finnish osmoosi, through osmosis
- osmoosimovement of molecules across a membrane
- through osmosispicking up knowledge accidentally
- samallapicking up knowledge accidentally
French osmose
- osmosemovement of molecules across a membrane
German Osmose, but see Nachempfindung
- Osmosemovement of molecules across a membrane
- but see Nachempfindungpicking up knowledge accidentally
- Nachvollziehungpicking up knowledge accidentally
- Nachvollzugpicking up knowledge accidentally
- Gefühlsansteckungpicking up knowledge accidentally
- Hineindenkungpicking up knowledge accidentally
- Gedankenansteckungpicking up knowledge accidentally
- Gedankenübernahmepicking up knowledge accidentally
- Ansichtenübernahmepicking up knowledge accidentally
Greek ώσμωση
- ώσμωση (ósmosi)movement of molecules across a membrane
Hindi परासरण
- परासरण (parāsaraṇ)movement of molecules across a membrane
Hungarian ozmózis
- ozmózismovement of molecules across a membrane
Icelandic himnuflæði
- himnuflæðimovement of molecules across a membrane
Indonesian osmosis
- osmosismovement of molecules across a membrane
Irish osmóis
- osmóismovement of molecules across a membrane
Italian osmosi
- osmosimovement of molecules across a membrane
Japanese 浸透
- 浸透 (shintō)movement of molecules across a membrane
Korean 삼투
- 삼투 (samtu)movement of molecules across a membrane
Māori rerewai
- rerewaimovement of molecules across a membrane
Persian اسمز
- اسمز (osmoz)movement of molecules across a membrane
Polish osmoza, osmoza
- osmozamovement of molecules across a membrane
- osmozapicking up knowledge accidentally
Portuguese osmose, osmose
- osmosemovement of molecules across a membrane
- osmosepicking up knowledge accidentally
Russian о́смос
- о́смос (ósmos)movement of molecules across a membrane
Spanish ósmosis
- ósmosismovement of molecules across a membrane
Swedish osmos
- osmosmovement of molecules across a membrane
Tagalog pananagos
- pananagosmovement of molecules across a membrane
Tamil சவ்வூடு பரவல், பிரசாரணம்
- சவ்வூடு பரவல் (cavvūṭu paraval)movement of molecules across a membrane
- பிரசாரணம் (piracāraṇam)movement of molecules across a membrane
Thai การออสโมสิส
- การออสโมสิสmovement of molecules across a membrane
Ukrainian о́смос
- о́смос (ósmos)movement of molecules across a membrane
Vietnamese sự thẩm thấu
- sự thẩm thấumovement of molecules across a membrane
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with osmosis
Cite this entry
osmosis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/osmosis
“osmosis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/osmosis. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “osmosis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/osmosis.
Source: osmosis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.