Osmotically

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Relating to the process by which solvent molecules pass through a semi-permeable membrane from a less concentrated to a more concentrated solution
2. Characterizing how substances move across membranes by means of osmotic pressure
3. Describing the movement of fluids in biological systems that occurs due to concentration gradients through membrane structures

Etymology: Osmotically is about as plain as English derivation gets: it is the adverb of "osmotic," which is itself built from "osmosis." The base word traces to Greek roots meaning "push" or "impulse," and "osmosis" was coined in the 19th century as a technical term for the movement of a fluid through a membrane. "Osmotic" then took the familiar English adjective ending "-al" in its shape "osmotical," and the adverb is formed by attaching "-ally," a combination of "-al" and "-ly." The ending itself has a long road behind it. The "-ly" part descends from an Old English form "-līċe," which goes back to a Germanic root meaning "body" or "form," so an adverb like this one is literally "in the manner of" the adjective. The "-al" element came into English through Old French from Latin "-ālis," a suffix meaning "pertaining to."

Synonyms: permeably, diffusively, selectively, transmissively, filteringly