Osmols

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Units of osmotic activity, each equal to one mole of dissolved particles that contribute to osmotic pressure in a solution
2. Measures of the osmotic strength of a solution, where one unit corresponds to a mole of solute particles
3. Quantities used to express how many dissolved particles a solution contains and how strongly they draw water across a membrane

Etymology: "Osmols" is the plural of "osmol," a unit used in chemistry and medicine to count the dissolved particles in a solution. The singular "osmol" is built from "osmosis," the movement of water through a membrane, with the abbreviated unit ending "-ol" (short for "osmole," a term formed in the same way as "mole," the unit of amount of substance). Because the unit measures how many dissolved particles are present, it helps explain why water moves across membranes toward the more concentrated side.