absorbent
/əbˈzɔːbənt/uhb-ZAWR-buhnt
UK form converted from the US by rule · unchecked/əbˈzɔɹbənt/uhb-ZAWR-buhnt
Meaningabsorbing
Common meaning: able to soak up liquid
Tap a word part to explore
- abaway, off
- sorbto suck in, swallow downLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1731 · scan
- entadjective ending: being or doing
‘away, off’ + ‘to suck in, swallow down’ → absorbent
Journey through time
- Latinsorbeō, sorbuī‘to suck in, swallow down’
- Englishabsorb‘to soak up’
- Englishformed in English from absorbabsorbent‘able to soak up liquid’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Formed in English from absorb + -ent.
Dictionary: Skeat (1898), ABSORB, p.5 · scan
Roots
- sorbeō, sorbuī Latin “to suck in, swallow down”
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