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Added 10 October 2026

absorbent

/əbˈsɔː.bn̩t/ adjective

In Latin: absorbens Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about absorbent at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Having the ability or tendency to absorb; able to soak up liquid easily; absorptive. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
Those paper towels were amazingly absorbent. That was quite a spill.

noun

Anything which absorbs.
The vessels by which the processes of absorption are carried on, as the lymphatics in animals, the extremities of the roots in plants.
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.

Origin

From Latin absorbēns, present active participle of absorbeō (“absorb”). By surface analysis, absorb + -ent.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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