osmotic pressure

2 definitions found

osmotic pressure - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  osmotic pressure \os*mot"ic pres"sure\, n. (Physical Chemistry)
     The pressure which a solution of a substance in a liquid
     exerts on a semipermeable membrane, through which the solvent
     can diffuse but the dissolved substance (the solute) cannot
     diffuse, when separated across the membrane from the pure
     solvent. In general, the osmotic pressure will depend almost
     proportionally up to certain concentrations upon the molal
     concentration of the solute.
     [PJC]

osmotic pressure - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  osmotic pressure
      n 1: (physical chemistry) the pressure exerted by a solution
           necessary to prevent osmosis into that solution when it is
           separated from the pure solvent by a semipermeable membrane