English word origin

Etymology of adsorb

From French adsorber, from Latin ad- (“to”) + sorbeō (“suck in”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

verb

To accumulate on a surface, by adsorption.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French adsorber, from Latin ad- (“to”) + sorbeō (“suck in”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionadsorberfr
Derivation mentionad-la · to

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "adsorber"
      },
      "expansion": "French adsorber"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "ad-",
        "t": "to"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin ad- (“to”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "adsorber",
      "adsorber#French"
    ],
    [
      "ad-",
      "ad-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "sorbeō",
      "sorbeo#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To accumulate on a surface, by adsorption."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "physical",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "5141aa963c97f0f7442131e97015faaa3dbe2f3b5f3c0f376195184875458dac",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fb3f4de6ccc1cbfbc4713deb95bd3915d802bd5869e2f2f0d32c91cbbee2688e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 227439
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for adsorb →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-YWRzb3Ji