absorbance

[ ab-sawr-buhns, -zawr- ]
/ æbˈsɔr bəns, -ˈzɔr- /

noun Physics.

the capacity of a substance to absorb radiation, expressed as the common logarithm of the reciprocal of the transmittance of the substance.

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Also ab·sorb·an·cy [ab-sawr-buhn-see, -zawr-] /æbˈsɔr bən si, -ˈzɔr-/ .

Origin of absorbance

First recorded in 1945–50; absorb(ent) + -ance

Words nearby absorbance

absolve, absonant, absorb, absorbable gelatin film, absorbable suture, absorbance, absorbed, absorbed dose, absorbefacient, absorbent, absorbent cotton
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for absorbance

absorbance
/ (əbˈsɔːbəns, -ˈzɔː-) /

noun

physics a measure of the light-absorbing ability of an object, expressed as the logarithm to base 10 of the reciprocal of the internal transmittanceSee transmittance
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for absorbance

absorbance
[ əb-zôr′bəns ]

n.

In spectrophotometry, equal to 2 minus the log of the percentage transmittance of light.extinction optical density
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.