hypotonic
Americanadjective
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Physiology. (of tissue) having less than the normal tone.
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Physical Chemistry. noting a solution of lower osmotic pressure than another solution with which it is compared (opposed to hypertonic).
adjective
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pathol (of muscles) lacking normal tone or tension
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(of a solution) having a lower osmotic pressure than that of a specified, generally physiological, solution Compare hypertonic isotonic
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Etymology
Origin of hypotonic
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Vocabulary lists containing hypotonic
Cell Biology - High School
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Chemistry - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Water, which is hypotonic with respect to body fluids.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Cells are then made to swell using a hypotonic solution so the chromosomes spread apart.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
What tends to happen to cells in a hypotonic environment?
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
The terms isotonic, hypertonic, and hypotonic refer the “strength,” or concentration, of the sugar solute, not the water.
From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018
When immersed in a hypertonic solution, it retracts; in a slightly hypotonic solution it absorbs water and becomes turgescent, while in a very hypotonic solution it swells up and bursts.
From The Mechanism of Life by Leduc, Stéphane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
