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
3 May 2025
(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.
