dialysis
/daɪˈælɪsɪs/ noun
Forms dialyses
- noun (chemistry) A method of separating molecules or particles of different sizes by differential diffusion through a semipermeable membrane.
- noun (medicine) The use of this method for the removal of waste products from the blood in the case of kidney failure: hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.
- noun (rhetoric) The spelling out of alternatives, or presenting of either-or arguments that lead to a conclusion.
- noun (rhetoric) asyndeton.
Etymology
From Latin dialysis, from Ancient Greek διάλυσις (diálusis). By surface analysis, dia- + -lysis. First use appears c. 1550.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “dialysis”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details