ABSORB

transitive verb Etymology: Anglo-French asorbir to swallow up, from Latin ~ēre, from ab- + sorbēre to suck up; akin to Lithuanian surbti to sip, Greek rophein to gulp down Date: 15th century to take in and make part of an existent whole , 2. to suck up or take up , to take in ; acquire , learn , use up , consume , to engage or engross wholly , 4. a. to receive without recoil or echo , endure , sustain , assume , bear , to transform (radiant energy) into a different form especially with a resulting rise in temperature , ~ability noun ~able adjective ~er noun