Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Absorbent \Ab*sorb"ent\, a. [L. absorbens, p. pr. of absorbere.]
   Absorbing; swallowing; absorptive.

   {Absorbent ground} (Paint.), a ground prepared for a picture,
      chiefly with distemper, or water colors, by which the oil
      is absorbed, and a brilliancy is imparted to the colors.