dialysis

[ dahy-al-uh-sis ]

/ daɪˈæl ə sɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dialysis ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural di·al·y·ses [dahy-al-uh-seez] /daɪˈæl əˌsiz/.

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

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.

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

Nearby words

dialogue box, dialysance, dialysate, dialyse, dialyser, dialysis, dialysis encephalopathy syndrome, dialytic, dialyzate, dialyze, dialyzer

Origin of dialysis

1580–90; < Late Latin < Greek diálysis a separation. See dia-, -lysis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dialysis

The result can be total kidney failure and the need for dialysis; for some people, the kidney failure is permanent.
Cool It on the CrossFit: What’s Rhabdomyolysis?|Kent Sepkowitz|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Kidney disease, formerly a major cause of death, has basically dropped out of the chart thanks to the invention of dialysis.
Has Medical Innovation Slowed Down?|Megan McArdle|May 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The first and still the best example is dialysis, which costs more than $40,000 a year.
A Doctor’s View of the Supreme Court’s Health-Care Ruling|Kent Sepkowitz|June 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He waged war on the modern with a Siemens dialysis machine in-tow, bankrolled by Aramco petrodollars.
Osama bin Laden Died a Fool and Has No Legacy|Dana Vachon|May 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Although the Al Qaeda chief was said to require dialysis for kidney disorders, no dialysis machines were found at the house.
Day 4: Breaking News on Osama bin Laden's Death|The Daily Beast|May 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
This body is soluble in water, and consequently is not precipitated by dialysis.
On Digestive Proteolysis|R. H. Chittenden
Dialysis, the process by means of which a crystalline substance may be separated from a colloidal body.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
The disjunction or dialysis of the carpels, for instance, frequently renders axile placentation marginal.
Vegetable Teratology|Maxwell T. Masters
They can usually be separated from their corresponding enzymes by dialysis, the coenzyme passing through the parchment membrane.
The Chemistry of Plant Life|Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher
Any tartar emetic present in the sediment might have been procured in a pure form by the simple process of dialysis.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science|Various

British Dictionary definitions for dialysis

dialysis

/ (daɪˈælɪsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)

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

med See haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis

Derived Forms

dialytic (ˌdaɪəˈlɪtɪk), adjectivedialytically, adverb

Word Origin for dialysis

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for dialysis

dialysis

[ dī-ăl′ĭ-sĭs ]

n. pl. di•al•y•ses (-sēz′)

The separation of smaller molecules from larger molecules or of dissolved substances from colloidal particles in a solution by selective diffusion through a semipermeable membrane.diffusion

Hemodialysis.

Related forms

di′a•lyt′ic (-ə-lĭt′ĭk) adj.

Science definitions for dialysis

dialysis

[ dī-ăl′ĭ-sĭs ]

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.

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.

Culture definitions for dialysis

dialysis

[ (deye-al-uh-sis) ]

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

Note

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.