absorptivityn.
/ˌabzɔːpˈtɪvᵻti/, /ˌabsɔːpˈtɪvᵻti/, U.S. /əbˌzɔrpˈtɪvᵻdi/, /əbˌsɔrpˈtɪvᵻdi/, /ˌæbˌzɔrpˈtɪvᵻdi/, /ˌæbˌsɔrpˈtɪvᵻdi/ Chiefly Science.
The property of being absorptive; spec. the degree to which something absorbs light or heat. Cf. absorptiveness n.Cf. Kirchhoff n. b.
ΚΠ
1839 K. Grant Hooper's Lexicon Medicum (ed. 7) 17 Absorptivity, a term introduced by the French—absorptivité. The power of absorption inherent in organic tissues.
1872 Notices Proc. Royal Inst. Great Brit. 6 550 The absorptivity for radiant heat of electrolytically obtained oxygen.
1885 Rep. Secretary War 1st Session 49th Congr. IV. ii. 91 There was most probably but little difference in the reflections..and therefore the differences are mostly due to different absorptivities.
1911 Determination Optical Properties Materials (U.S. Bureau Standards) i. 4 The absorption coefficient or absorptivity a is the fraction [of light] absorbed by a layer of unit thickness.
1986 J. R. Mehaffey & T. Z. Harmathy in C. E. Grant & P. J. Pagni Fire Safety Sci. 112 A compartment lined with materials of differing thermal absorptivity.
1988 H. Chertok Stealing Home Introd. 5 America bears for its Jews a guilelessly insidious, truly remarkable gift of absorptivity. No other host culture has ever made it quite so easeful for us to jettison our Jewishness.
2008 N. B. Dahotre & S. P. Harimkar Laser Fabrication & Machining ii. 36 One of the important parameters influencing the effects of laser–material interactions is the absorptivity of the material for laser radiation.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1839