Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Definition

adjective

1. Of, relating to, or characterized by having a lower osmotic pressure than a surrounding fluid under comparison.

2. A condition in which the total amount of solutes (both permeable and impermeable) in a solution is lower than that of another solution.

Supplement

For instance: In kidneys, the tubular fluid is: - iso-osmotic (to plasma) when it is at the beginning of the loop of henle - hyperosmotic (to plasma) when it is at the tip of the loop - hyposmotic (to plasma) when it leaves the loop

Word origin: G. hypo: under, below + osmotic: relating to osmosis.
Related forms: hyposmotically (adverb).
Related phrases: hyposmotic solution.

Alternative forms: hypoosmotic.
Compare: hyperosmotic, iso-osmotic.
See also: tonicity, osmosis, osmotic pressure, diffusion, plasma membrane.