absorbing

English

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep

Proto-Indo-European *-o

Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó

Proto-Italic *ap

Latin abder.

Latin ab-

Proto-Indo-European *srebʰ-

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti

Proto-Indo-European *srobʰéyeti

Proto-Italic *sorβeō

Latin sorbeō

Latin absorbeō

Old French assorbir

Middle French absorberder.

English absorb

English -ing

English absorbing

From absorb + -ing.

absorbing (comparative more absorbing, superlative most absorbing)

Engrossing, that sustains someone's interest. [First attested in the mid 18^th century.]^[1]
an absorbing pursuit
- 2011 October 29, Neil Johnston, “Norwich 3 - 3 Blackburn”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:
  It was a dramatic finish to an absorbing, fast-paced game but Blackburn will be deeply unhappy with referee Anthony Taylor as Nzonzi's handball was harsh.
(statistics, of a state) Allowing a process to enter it, but not to leave it.

engrossing

math: of a state

absorbing

absorbing (plural absorbings)

^ Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “absorbing”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 9.