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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

absorbent \ab*sorb"ent\ ([a^]b*s[^o]rb"ent), a. [L. absorbens,
p. pr. of absorbere.]
Absorbing; swallowing; absorptive.
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{Absorbent ground} (Paint.), a ground prepared for a picture,
chiefly with distemper, or water colors, by which the oil
is absorbed, and a brilliancy is imparted to the colors.
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Absorbent \Ab*sorb"ent\, n.
1. Anything which absorbs. AS
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The ocean, itself a bad absorbent of heat. --Darwin.
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2. (Med.) Any substance which absorbs and neutralizes acid
fluid in the stomach and bowels, as magnesia, chalk, etc.;
also a substance e. g., iodine which acts on the absorbent
vessels so as to reduce enlarged and indurated parts. AS
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3. pl. (Physiol.) The vessels by which the processes of
absorption are carried on, as the lymphatics in animals,
the extremities of the roots in plants. AS
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