facilitated

Facilitated is the past participle of the verb facilitate and is widely used as an adjective to describe something that has been made easier or aided by guidance, support, or enabling conditions. In everyday English, it typically marks processes, events, or actions that have been aided to achieve a desired outcome rather than occurring unaided.

In organizational settings, a facilitated workshop or facilitated discussion refers to a session guided by a facilitator who coordinates activities, clarifies objectives, and encourages participation to improve collaboration and efficiency.

In biology, facilitated diffusion or facilitated transport describes the passive movement of substances across cell membranes via specific transport proteins, such as channels or carriers. This process does not expend cellular energy, but it requires proteins to increase rate and selectivity, distinguishing it from simple diffusion.

Facilitated communication is a controversial practice in which a facilitator provides physical or verbal support to a person with communication disabilities. Controlled studies have shown the facilitator can influence responses, leading to strong skepticism and regulatory restrictions in many regions.

Other uses include facilitated negotiations, workshops, or learning programs, where a facilitator's role is to orchestrate activities and remove barriers rather than to supply substantive content themselves. Etymology: from facilitate, from Latin facilis 'easy.' See also facilitate, facilitation, facilitator.