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View synonyms for absorption

absorption

[ ab-sawrp-shuhn, -zawrp- ]

noun

  1. the act of absorbing.
  2. the state or process of being absorbed. absorbed.
  3. assimilation; incorporation:

    the absorption of small farms into one big one.

  4. uptake of substances by a tissue, as of nutrients through the wall of the intestine.
  5. a taking in or reception by molecular or chemical action, as of gases or liquids.
  6. Physics. the removal of energy or particles from a beam by the medium through which the beam propagates.
  7. complete attention or preoccupation; deep engrossment:

    absorption in one's work.



absorption

/ əbˈsɔːpʃən; -ˈzɔːp- /

noun

  1. the process of absorbing or the state of being absorbed
  2. physiol
    1. normal assimilation by the tissues of the products of digestion
    2. the passage of a gas, fluid, drug, etc, through the mucous membranes or skin
  3. physics a reduction of the intensity of any form of radiated energy as a result of energy conversion in a medium, such as the conversion of sound energy into heat
  4. immunol the process of removing superfluous antibodies or antigens from a mixture using a reagent


absorption

/ əb-sôrpshən /

  1. Biology.
    The movement of a substance, such as a liquid or solute, across a cell membrane by means of diffusion or osmosis.
  2. Chemistry.
    The process by which one substance, such as a solid or liquid, takes up another substance, such as a liquid or gas, through minute pores or spaces between its molecules. A paper towel takes up water, and water takes up carbon dioxide, by absorption.
  3. Chemistry.
    Compare adsorption
  4. Physics.
    The taking up and storing of energy, such as radiation, light, or sound, without it being reflected or transmitted. During absorption, the energy may change from one form into another. When radiation strikes the electrons in an atom, the electrons move to a higher orbit or state of excitement by absorption of the radiation's energy.


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Derived Forms

  • abˈsorptive, adjective

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Other Words From

  • hyper·ab·sorption noun
  • inter·ab·sorption noun
  • nonab·sorption noun
  • over·ab·sorption noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of absorption1

1590–1600; < Latin absorptiōn- (stem of absorptiō ), equivalent to absorpt ( us ), past participle of absorbēre to absorb + -iōn- -ion

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Word History and Origins

Origin of absorption1

C16: from Latin absorptiōn-, from absorbēre to absorb

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Example Sentences

The Halo from Aston Microphones is specifically engineered with ridges to maximize surface area and consequently provide the maximum sound absorption possible in this portable form factor.

Additionally, the outer segments can fold independently to use the isolation shield in tighter spaces or when more sound absorption is required.

Simulated stones were constructed to minimize sound absorption, much like actual stones at Stonehenge, Cox says.

The model’s predictions matched the absorption peaks of chlorophyll a and b, which green plants use to harvest red and blue light.

Applying the model to the sunlight available where those bacteria live, the researchers predicted what the optimal absorption peaks should be.

This may cause a negative autoimmune response, and inhibits proper digestion and nutrient absorption.

But for all his self-absorption, the Japanese Beethoven ought to have learned from his German counterpart in another manner.

It seems like your piece is a sort of a satire of the self-absorption and self-obsession of humans.

The progress of absorption is measured in decades, even centuries.

Almost 20 years before the HBO series of the same name, Ken Finkleman caricatured the self-absorption of TV news anchors.

Tests are of value in recognizing poisoning from ingestion and in detecting absorption from carbolized dressings.

It is a blind act of unconscious absorption, however little be absorbed.

It all charmed him inexpressibly, so that he realised—yes, in a sense—the degradation of his twenty years' absorption in business.

A simple experiment of Boussingault's illustrates this absorption very strikingly.

In the flowers, both by day and night, there is a constant absorption of oxygen, and evolution of carbonic acid.

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absorptiometryabsorption band