Osmoregulations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The physiological processes by which organisms maintain fluid balance under varying osmotic conditions are known
2. it encompasses the mechanisms that control the concentrations of solutes and water in bodily fluids
3. this term refers to the adaptive responses of cells and organs to regulate osmotic pressure and sustain homeostasis

Etymology: "Osmoregulations" is simply the plural of "osmoregulation", so it names several instances or kinds of the process. The base word is a compound: "osmo-", from Greek "ōsmos", a push or thrust, the same root that gave the Greek noun "ōsmos" for pushing and impulse, combined with "regulation", the English word for controlling or adjusting something to a standard. The Greek root traces back to a verb meaning to push, and the -mos ending is a Greek noun-forming suffix. The Greek element entered scientific vocabulary through the modern coinage "osmosis", which describes the movement of water across a membrane. "Osmo-" was then used as a combining form, so "osmoregulation" is a 20th-century scientific formation built from classical parts rather than a word the ancient Greeks used.