di·al·y·sis

[dahy-al-uh-sis]
noun, plural di·al·y·ses [-seez] .
1.
Physical Chemistry. the separation of crystalloids from colloids in a solution by diffusion through a membrane.
2.
Biochemistry. the separation of large molecules, as proteins, from small molecules and ions in a solution by allowing the latter to pass through a semipermeable membrane.
3.
Medicine/Medical. (in kidney disease) the process by which uric acid and urea are removed from circulating blood by means of a dialyzer.
Origin:
1580–90; < Late Latin < Greek diálysis a separation. See dia-, -lysis

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Collins
World English Dictionary
dialysis (daɪˈælɪsɪs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n , pl -ses
1.  the separation of small molecules from large molecules and colloids in a solution by the selective diffusion of the small molecules through a semipermeable membrane
2.  med haemodialysis See peritoneal dialysis
 
[C16: from Late Latin: a separation, from Greek dialusis a dissolution, from dialuein to tear apart, dissolve, from luein to loosen]
 
dialytic
 
—adj
 
dia'lytically
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Dialysis is always a great word to know.
So is diffusion. Does it mean:
the spred of an item or a pattern from one area to another, without changing in the process. The term diffusion is also used in a more general sense, referring to any sort of spread or even adaptation. For discussion in world histroy, however, there are a
the usual method of cell division, characterized typically by the resolving of the chromatin of the nucleus into a threadlike form, which condenses into chromosomes, each of which separates longitudinally into two parts, one part of each chromosome being
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dialysis
1586, from Gk. dialysis "dissolution, separation," from dialyein "dissolve, separate," from dia- "apart" + lyein "loosen" (see lose). Used originally in logic and grammar; chemistry sense is first recorded 1861, medicine 1914.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

dialysis di·al·y·sis (dī-āl'ĭ-sĭs)
n. pl. di·al·y·ses (-sēz')

  1. The separation of smaller molecules from larger molecules or of dissolved substances from colloidal particles in a solution by selective diffusion through a semipermeable membrane. Also called diffusion.

  2. Hemodialysis.

di'a·lyt'ic (-ə-lĭt'ĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
dialysis   (dī-āl'ĭ-sĭs)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. The separation of the smaller molecules in a solution from the larger molecules by passing the solution through a membrane that does not allow the large molecules to pass through.

  2. A medical procedure in which this technique of molecular separation is used to remove metabolic waste products or toxic substances from the blood. Dialysis is required for individuals with severe kidney failure.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
dialysis [(deye-al-uh-sis)]

The separation of large molecules from small molecules by passage through a membrane.

Note: A common treatment for kidney disease is the use of a dialysis machine to filter toxic substances from the blood, a function that the kidneys normally perform.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Dialysis machines filter blood by pumping it out through a catheter and into a
  compartment with a semipermeable membrane.
Describe steps that can be taken by dialysis units to prevent these common
  errors.
Our patient was started on dialysis the next day, because her kidneys were too
  damaged to work.
Dialysis uses special ways of accessing the blood in the blood vessels.
Image for dialysis
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