The movement of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration. This process continues until equilibrium is reached.
From Greek 'osmos' meaning 'push' or 'impulse,' coined by French physiologist René Dutrochet in 1827. The term captures the idea of water being 'pushed' across membranes by concentration differences.
Osmosis is why raisins plump up in water and why saltwater fish can't survive in freshwater - it's water's relentless quest to balance things out, even if it kills the organism in the process!
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