'impact-absorbing' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'impact' and the present participle 'absorbing'; 'impact' ultimately comes from Latin, specifically the word 'impactus', and 'absorb' comes from Latin, specifically 'absorbere', where 'ab-' meant 'away' and 'sorbere' meant 'to suck in.'

'impact' entered English via Late Latin 'impactus' (meaning 'a striking' or 'impact') around the 17th century; 'absorb' comes from Latin 'absorbere' and passed into English through Old French/Middle English, with the present participle 'absorbing' formed in Modern English to create the compound adjective 'impact-absorbing.'

The component words originally meant 'a striking' (impact) and 'to suck in' (absorb), and together they evolved to describe materials or designs that 'take in or reduce the force of an impact' rather than the literal act of sucking in.