absorbent, absorptive
(adjective) having power or capacity or tendency to absorb or soak up something (liquids or energy etc.); “as absorbent as a sponge”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
absorbent (comparative more absorbent, superlative most absorbent)
Having the ability or tendency to absorb; able to soak up liquid easily; absorptive. [First attested in the early 18th century.]
absorbent (plural absorbents)
Anything which absorbs. [First attested in the early 18th century.]
(physiology, pluralized, now, rare) The vessels by which the processes of absorption are carried on, as the lymphatics in animals, the extremities of the roots in plants. [First attested in the mid 18th century.]
(medicine) Any substance which absorbs and neutralizes acid fluid in the stomach and bowels, as magnesia, chalk, etc.; also a substance, e.g, iodine, which acts on the absorbent vessels so as to reduce enlarged and indurated parts.
(chemistry) A liquid used in the process of separating gases or volatile liquids, in oil refining.
Source: Wiktionary
Ab*sorb"ent, a. Etym: [L. absorbens, p. pr. of absorbere.]
Definition: Absorbing; swallowing; absorptive. Absorbent ground (Paint.), a ground prepared for a picture, chiefly with distemper, or water colors, by which the oil is absorbed, and a brilliancy is imparted to the colors.
Ab*sorb"ent, n.
1. Anything which absorbs. The ocean, itself a bad absorbent of heat. Darwin.
2. (Med.)
Definition: Any substance which absorbs and neutralizes acid fluid in the stomach and bowels, as magnesia, chalk, etc.; also a substance e. g., iodine) which acts on the absorbent vessels so as to reduce enlarged and indurated parts.
3. pl. (Physiol.)
Definition: The vessels by which the processes of absorption are carried on, as the lymphatics in animals, the extremities of the roots in plants.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
2 April 2025
(adjective) secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; “covert actions by the CIA”; “covert funding for the rebels”
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
