dialysis

[dahy-al-uh-sis]

noun

plural

dialyses 

1. Physical Chemistry.,  the separation of crystalloids from colloids in a solution by diffusion through a membrane.

2. Biochemistry.,  the separation of large molecules, as proteins, from small molecules and ions in a solution by allowing the latter to pass through a semipermeable membrane.

3. Medicine/Medical.,  (in kidney disease) the process by which uric acid and urea are removed from circulating blood by means of a dialyzer.

dialysis

/ daɪˈælɪsɪs, ˌdaɪəˈlɪtɪk /

noun

1. the separation of small molecules from large molecules and colloids in a solution by the selective diffusion of the small molecules through a semipermeable membrane

2. med See haemodialysis peritoneal dialysis

dialysis

1. The separation of the smaller molecules in a solution from the larger molecules by passing the solution through a membrane that does not allow the large molecules to pass through.

2. A medical procedure in which this technique of molecular separation is used to remove metabolic waste products or toxic substances from the blood. Dialysis is required for individuals with severe kidney failure.

dialysis

1. The separation of large molecules from small molecules by passage through a membrane.

A common treatment for kidney disease is the use of a dialysis machine to filter toxic substances from the blood, a function that the kidneys normally perform.

Other Word Forms

• dialytically adverb
• dialytic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dialysis¹

First recorded in 1580–90; from Late Latin, from Greek diálysis “separation”; equivalent to dia- + -lysis

Word History and Origins

Origin of dialysis¹

C16: from Late Latin: a separation, from Greek dialusis a dissolution, from dialuein to tear apart, dissolve, from luein to loosen

Example Sentences

A grandson who wouldn’t be able to take his grandmother to dialysis three times a week.

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"At best that meant I would have needed to be put on dialysis which I really would not have fancied," he said.

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A second donor kidney failed in 2020, and he has been on dialysis since.

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If diagnosed within 10-30 hours after consumption, methanol poisoning can be treated successfully with dialysis.

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Some are attributed to lung and heart conditions exacerbated by smoke or stress, while others are more indirect - like delayed healthcare treatment for dialysis or cancer patients as a result of fire-related disruptions.

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Related Words

• departure 
• disengagement 
• dissolution 
• divorce 
• estrangement 
• partition 
• segregation 
• split