Sponge
/spʌndʒ/noun
A soft porous animal or synthetic material used for soaking up liquid.
Did you know?The word comes from the name of the living sea animal itself, and in medieval medicine sponges were soaked in narcotics for surgical anesthesia—language and ritual, literally absorbed together.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*(s)penǵʰ-
“to draw tight, twist, bind, or strain”
Ancient Greek
Greek
σπόγγος (spóngos)
“a sea sponge”
Latin
Latin
spongia
“a sponge”
Old French
Old French
esponge
“a sponge”
Middle English
English
sponge
“a sponge; later also a person who lives off others”
Modern English
English
sponge
“a soft porous absorbent material or the marine animal it comes from”