absorbent

[ ab-sawr-buhnt, -zawr- ]

See synonyms for absorbent on Thesaurus.com

adjective

capable of absorbing heat, light, moisture, etc.; tending to absorb.

noun

something that absorbs: Tons of high-powered absorbents were needed to clean up the oil spill.

Origin of absorbent

First recorded in 1710–20, absorbent is from the Latin word absorbent- (stem of absorbēns, present participle of absorbēre). See absorb, -ent

Other words from absorbent

ab·sorb·en·cy, noun
non·ab·sorb·en·cy, noun
non·ab·sorb·ent, adjective, noun
pre·ab·sorb·ent, adjective, noun
sem·i·ab·sorb·ent, adjective
un·ab·sorb·ent, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use absorbent in a sentence

They now use a similar process to make its fibers for its super-absorbent swabs.
Super-absorbent swab could curb errors in COVID-19 testing | Kathiann Kowalski | February 17, 2021 | Science News For Students
Shemilt ensures the breathability and absorbency of the 95 percent bamboo fabric tops.
Huma Abedin Opens Up To Harper’s Bazaar; Rumors of a Barney's New York - Jay Z Collaboration | The Fashion Beast Team | July 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
But the amount of absorbency required is not so great as to preclude the use of size altogether.
Wood-Block Printing | F. Morley Fletcher

British Dictionary definitions for absorbent

absorbent

/ (əbˈsɔːbənt, -ˈzɔː-) /

adjective

able to absorb

noun

a substance that absorbs

Derived forms of absorbent

absorbency, noun

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

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