absorbent

[ ab-sawr-buhnt, -zawr- ]
See synonyms for absorbent on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. capable of absorbing heat, light, moisture, etc.; tending to absorb.

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

Origin of absorbent

1
First recorded in1710–20, 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

Words Nearby absorbent

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use absorbent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for absorbent

absorbent

/ (əbˈsɔːbənt, -ˈzɔː-) /


adjective
  1. able to absorb

noun
  1. a substance that absorbs

Derived forms of absorbent

  • absorbency, noun

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