'adsorb' originates from the Latin word 'adsorbere,' where 'ad-' meant 'toward' and 'sorbere' meant 'to suck in.'

'adsorbere' transformed into the French word 'adsorber,' and eventually became the modern English word 'adsorb' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to suck in toward a surface,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.