Word
absorptivity
Phoneticsab·sorp·tiv·i·ty
Definition
n. the ability of a material to take in and hold onto energy, like heat or light. It measures how much of that energy a surface can absorb rather than reflect.
n. the capacity of a material to absorb electromagnetic radiation, such as light or heat, without reflecting it. Often expressed as a dimensionless coefficient or percentage.
Examples
“The black paint has a high absorptivity for sunlight.”
“Engineers selected a material with high thermal absorptivity to ensure the solar panels captured as much heat as possible.”
“In the study of climate change, scientists calculate the Earth's overall absorptivity to determine how much solar radiation is retained by the atmosphere versus reflected back into space.”
Examples
simple
“The black paint has a high absorptivity for sunlight.”
contextual
“Engineers selected a material with high thermal absorptivity to ensure the solar panels captured as much heat as possible.”
complex
“In the study of climate change, scientists calculate the Earth's overall absorptivity to determine how much solar radiation is retained by the atmosphere versus reflected back into space.”
Etymology
From absorptive + -ity.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/absorptivity