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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Word of the Day

13 January 2025

SOAK

(noun) the process of becoming softened and saturated as a consequence of being immersed in water (or other liquid); “a good soak put life back in the wagon”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee shop is the Al Masaa Café, which has 1,050 seats. The coffee shop was inaugurated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 13 August 2014.

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