ABSORBENT
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
Etymology
Adjective
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.]
Noun
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
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