reverse osmosis

noun

, Chemistry.

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

reverse osmosis

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

reverse osmosis

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of reverse osmosis¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

In fact, it was watching the Jordan River enter the Dead Sea that inspired a scientist named Sidney Loeb—a pioneer of reverse osmosis, one way we desalinate seawater—to first deduce that osmotic energy was possible back in the mid-1970s.

From Popular-Science

A reverse osmosis plant on an adjacent plot of land desalinates and purifies up to 1.25 million gallons of water daily.

From The Daily Beast

Any winery that possesses a reverse-osmosis machine—usually used to remove alcohol from wine—can create their own concentrates.

From The Daily Beast