unabsorbed
|un-ab-sorbed|
🇺🇸
/ˌʌnəbˈzɔrbd/
🇬🇧
/ˌʌnəbˈzɔːbd/
not taken in
Etymology
'unabsorbed' is formed from the negative prefix 'un-' (from Old English 'un-') added to the past participle 'absorbed' (from 'absorb'). 'Absorb' ultimately comes from Latin 'absorbēre' (ad- 'to' + sorbēre 'to suck in').
'absorbēre' in Latin passed into Old French and Middle English as 'absorb-' / 'absorben', giving English 'absorb' and its past participle 'absorbed'; adding the Old English negative prefix 'un-' produced the adjective 'unabsorbed' in Modern English.
Originally 'absorb' meant 'to suck in' (physical sense); over time it broadened to include taking in nonphysical things (ideas, costs). The prefix 'un-' simply negates that, producing 'not taken in' in both physical and figurative senses.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not taken in or soaked up (by a substance); remaining on or separate from the absorbing medium.
The unabsorbed oil formed a slick on the surface of the water.
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Adjective 2
not mentally or emotionally engaged; not engrossed or occupied by something.
He remained unabsorbed by the lecture and kept checking his phone.
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Adjective 3
not allocated or accounted for (especially in accounting/tax contexts): e.g., costs or losses that have not been absorbed into prices or tax relief.
The firm recorded unabsorbed overheads from the previous quarter.
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Last updated: 2025/11/29 03:33