reverse osmosis

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. the process in which pure water is produced by forcing waste or saline water through a semipermeable membrane.

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reverse osmosis British  

noun

1. a technique for purifying water, in which pressure is applied to force liquid through a semipermeable membrane in the opposite direction to that in normal osmosis

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reverse osmosis Scientific  

1. A method of producing pure water by forcing saline or impure water through a semipermeable membrane across which salts or impurities cannot pass. Reverse osmosis is used for water filtration, for desalinization of seawater, and in kidney dialysis machines.

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Etymology

Origin of reverse osmosis

First recorded in 1950–55

Compare meaning

How does reverse-osmosis compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• osmosis vs. reverse osmosis

Example Sentences

Typically, he added, they can be treated using activated carbon and reverse osmosis.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2024

Rather than the liquid flowing through the membrane head-on, reverse osmosis uses cross-flow filtration.

From Salon • Dec. 13, 2023

Flavio Zolessi, a cell biologist at Udelar and the Pasteur Institute of Montevideo, says the salty water disabled both reverse osmosis purifiers and “ultrapurification” devices in his laboratory.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 17, 2023

Filters containing activated carbon or reverse osmosis membranes can remove the compounds.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 5, 2023

Microfiltration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet radiation, and abracadabra—they turned the county’s last day of raw sewage into nearly fifty thousand gallons of drinkable water.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman