Etymology

absorbing

A1B3S1O1R1B3I1N1G2

Today it means: Engrossing, that sustains someone's interest. Full definition →

First used First attested in the mid 18ᵗʰ century.English absorb ← Middle French absorber ← Old French assorbir
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ep
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂epó
  3. Proto-Italic*ap
  4. Latinab
  5. Latinab-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*srebʰ-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*srobʰéyeti
  8. Proto-Italic*sorβeō
  9. Latinsorbeō
  10. Latinabsorbeō
  11. Old Frenchassorbir
  12. Middle Frenchabsorber
  13. Englishabsorb
  14. English todayabsorbing

From absorb + -ing.

First known use, by meaning

  • First attested in the mid 18ᵗʰ century. Engrossing, that sustains someone's interest.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.