imbibition

noun

im·​bi·​bi·​tion ˌim-bə-ˈbi-shən 

: the act or action of imbibing

especially : the taking up of fluid by a colloidal system resulting in swelling

imbibitional

ˌim-bə-ˈbi-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Did you know?

Joseph Thomas James Hewlett was a 19th-century English curate and schoolmaster who supplemented his insufficient income by writing novels. In Parsons and Widows, in which the author disguises himself as "the Curate of Mosbury," Hewlett provided us with the first known use of "imbibition" to refer to a person’s drinking, in the phrase "imbibition of a little strong beer." Until then, "imbibition" had been used scientifically to refer to various processes of soaking and absorption, or figuratively, to the taking in of knowledge. (The word is still used scientifically today to refer to the taking up of fluid.) "Imbibition" traces back to Latin imbibere, a verb whose meaning "to drink in" includes absorption of liquids, consuming drink, and appropriating ideas.

Examples of imbibition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His new Technicolor camera used a single negative, but the imbibition process was retained for striking prints. —Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2025

The prohibition also extends to Olympic athletes, who organizers said are welcome to drink alone in their own rooms, but are otherwise barred from imbibition. —Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for imbibition

• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition
• demolition

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Medical Definition

imbibition

noun

im·​bi·​bi·​tion ˌim-bə-ˈbish-ən 

: the action or process of assimilating, taking into solution, or taking in liquid

especially : the taking up of fluid by a colloidal system resulting in swelling

imbibe

im-ˈbīb 

verb

imbibed; imbibing