Meanings
plural osmotica
- biologyAny substance that acts to supplement osmotic pressure in a cell
Second, potassium is a major osmoticum of plant cells, an especially crucial feature for plants under high-salt conditions, and one requiring controlled partitioning of the element among organs, tissues, and cell compartments.
1998 June 19, Emanuel Epstein, “How Calcium Enhances Plant Salt Tolerance”, in Science, volume 280, number 5371, →DOI, pages 1906–1907
Origin
From 1961 osmotic + Latin -um (“Latin neuter noun ending”) on model of Latin -um nouns. First attested in American Journal of Botany.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
osmoticum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/osmoticum
“osmoticum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/osmoticum. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “osmoticum,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/osmoticum.
Source: osmoticum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.