Osmosis is the spontaneous net movement or diffusion of solvent molecules through a selectively-

permeable membrane from a region of high water potential to a region of low water potential, in the

direction that tends to equalize the solute concentrations on the two sides. In biology, osmosis is

the movement of water molecules from a solution with a high concentration of water molecules

to a solution with a lower concentration of water molecules, through a cell's partially permeable

membrane. Osmosis is the passage of water molecules across a semi-permeable membrane

from a solution with a high concentration to a solution with a lower concentration. It is a

generalized process in which gases also participate. Osmosis is when water moves from an

area of LOW solute concentration (low osmolarity) to an area of HIGH solute concentration

(high osmolarity) through a semipermeable membrane. Osmosis is one of the most important

ways that plants and animals achieve homeostasis. The word "osmosis" descends from the

words "endosmose" and "exosmose", which were coined by French physician René Joachim

Henri Dutrochet (1776–1847) from the Greek words ἔνδον (éndon "within"), ἔξω (éxō "outer,

external"), and ὠσμός (ōsmós "push, impulsion").