'vibration-absorbing' originates from Modern English as a compound of 'vibration' and the present participle 'absorbing'. 'vibration' comes from Latin 'vibratio' (from 'vibrare' meaning 'to shake'), and 'absorbing' derives from the verb 'absorb' from Latin 'absorbere', where the prefix 'ab-' meant 'away' and the root (related to) 'sorbere' meant 'to suck in.'

'vibration' passed from Latin 'vibratio' into Medieval/Modern English as 'vibration'; 'absorb' came from Latin 'absorbere' into Old French/Latin-influenced forms and then into Middle English as 'absorben/absorb-' before becoming the modern English 'absorb'; the compound 'vibration-absorbing' is a modern English formation combining these elements.

Individually, 'vibration' originally referred to a shaking or trembling and 'absorb' to taking in or soaking up; combined as 'vibration-absorbing' the phrase now specifically denotes the property of reducing or damping vibrational energy.