Osmosis

Osmosis is a term used in chemistry and biology to describe a process of substance migration through a semipermeable (not solid) membrane to create an equal concentration of chemical composition.

For instance. a concentrated sugar solution in a semipermeable bag is placed in a container of plain water. Eventually osmosis will occur and diffuse the sugar until both water samples are equal in sugar content. In everyday usage, osmosis can refer to diffusion or intake of knowledge or understanding. For example, the student learned Spanish by osmosis just by being around Spanish-speaking students.