reabsorption
|re-ab-sorp-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌriːəbˈzɔːrpʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌriːəbˈzɔːpʃən/
absorb again
Etymology
'reabsorption' originates from the Latin prefix 're-' meaning 'again' combined with 'absorption', which comes from Latin 'absorptio' (from 'absorbēre'), where 'ab-' meant 'away' and the root related to 'sorbere' or 'sorbere'-like roots meant 'to suck in'.
'reabsorption' was formed in modern English by combining the productive prefix 're-' with the existing noun 'absorption' (Middle English absorpcioun/absorpsioun from Old French/Latin 'absorptio'), yielding the sense 'absorption again'.
Initially, 'absorption' referred broadly to the action of sucking in or taking up; over time it specialized in scientific contexts (chemical, physical, physiological). 'Reabsorption' developed to denote the act of absorbing again, often with a technical sense in physiology and physics.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process of absorbing something again; the uptake of a substance or fluid that has previously been absorbed.
Reabsorption of water in the kidneys helps maintain the body's fluid balance.
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Noun 2
in physiology, the specific process in the kidneys where filtered substances are taken back from the renal tubules into the bloodstream.
Glucose normally undergoes complete reabsorption in the proximal tubule of the nephron.
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Noun 3
in physics or optics, the absorption of emitted radiation or particles by the same medium or surrounding material (also called self-absorption).
In dense fluorescent materials, reabsorption of emitted photons can reduce the observable light output.
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Last updated: 2025/08/16 12:59