The Standard Electrical Dictionary

1. Absorption, Electric

   A property of the static charge. When a Leyden jar is being charged it dilates a little and the capacity increases, so that it can take a little more charge for a given potential difference existing between its two coatings. This phenomenon occurs with other static condensers, varying in degree with the dielectric. With shellac, paraffin, sulphur and resin, for instance, the absorption is very slight; with gutta-percha, stearine, and glass, the absorption is relatively great. The term is due to Faraday. Iceland spar seems almost or quite destitute of electric absorption.