Sorption
/ˈsɔːr.pʃən/noun
The process by which one substance takes up or holds another substance by absorption or adsorption.
Did you know?Sorption is a real scientific term, but it comes from Latin roots tied to *sucking up*—the same deep idea behind words for absorbing, swallowing, and being drawn into something larger.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
sorbere
“to suck up, sip, swallow”
Late Latin
Latin
sorptio
“a sucking up; absorption”
17th–19th Century
English
sorption
“the act or process of absorbing or taking up a substance”
Modern English
English
sorption
“the process by which a substance is taken up by another substance”