Engross
/ɪnˈɡrəʊs/noun
To absorb someone’s complete attention or interest.
Did you know?In medieval commerce, to engross goods meant buying them in bulk to create scarcity and control their resale price; its modern sense evolved from monopolizing commodities to monopolizing attention.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin / Medieval Latin
Latin
grossus
“Thick, coarse, large, or bulky”
12th–14th Century
Old French
gros
“Large; later also wholesale or in bulk”
14th–15th Century
Anglo-French
engrosser
“To buy or trade in large quantities, often with the sense of monopolizing goods”
15th Century
Middle English
engrossen
“To acquire wholesale; to monopolize or occupy completely”
16th–17th Century
English
engross
“To absorb, occupy, or take up entirely”
Modern English
English
engross
“To hold someone’s full attention or interest”