absorptance

[ ab-sawrp-tuhns, -zawrp- ]

/ æbˈsɔrp təns, -ˈzɔrp- /

Save This Word!

noun Physics, Optics.

the ratio of the amount of radiation absorbed by a surface to the amount of radiation incident upon it.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Compare reflectance, transmittance.

Origin of absorptance

1930–35; translation of German Absorptionsvermögen.See absorption, -ance

Words nearby absorptance

absorbent cotton, absorbent vessel, absorber, absorbing, absorbing well, absorptance, absorptiometer, absorptiometry, absorption, absorption band, absorption chromatography

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

British Dictionary definitions for absorptance

absorptance

absorption factor

/ (əbˈsɔːptəns, -ˈzɔːp-) /

noun

physics a measure of the ability of an object to absorb radiation, equal to the ratio of the absorbed radiant flux to the incident flux. For a layer of material the ratio of the flux absorbed between the entry and exit surfaces of the layer to the flux leaving the entry surface is the internal absorptanceSymbol: α Compare reflectance, transmittance

Word Origin for absorptance

C20: absorption + -ance

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