Etymograph

English

self-absorption

Self-absorption comes from Latin absorptiō ‘drink, beverage’, from absorbeō ‘to absorb, submerge’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *srebʰ- ‘to sip, gulp, suck (in)’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*srebʰ-1‘to sip, gulp, suck (in)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*srobʰéyeti1‘to be sipping, sucking’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sorβeō1‘to suck in’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsorbeō1‘to suck in, drink up’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsorbeō1‘to absorb, submerge’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsorptiō1‘drink, beverage’
  7. English1500–presentabsorption1
  8. Englishtodayself-absorption1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English self-absorption

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*srebʰ-Wiktionary, English self-absorption‘to sip, gulp, suck (in)’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*srobʰéyetiWiktionary, English self-absorption‘to be sipping, sucking’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sorβeōWiktionary, English self-absorption‘to suck in’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsorbeōWiktionary, English self-absorption‘to suck in, drink up’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsorbeōWiktionary, English self-absorption‘to absorb, submerge’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsorptiōWiktionary, English self-absorption‘drink, beverage’
  7. English1500–presentabsorptionWiktionary, English self-absorption
  8. Englishtodayself-absorptionWiktionary, English self-absorption

A compound of self- + absorption

Proto-Indo-European *selbʰ-

Proto-Germanic *selbaz ‘self’

Proto-Germanic *selba-

English self-

Proto-Indo-European *srebʰ- ‘to sip, gulp, suck (in)’

…

Proto-Italic *sorβeō ‘to suck in’

Latin sorbeō ‘to suck in, drink up’

Latin absorbeō ‘absorb’

Latin absorptiō ‘a sucking in’

English absorption

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *srebʰ- ‘to sip, gulp, suck (in)’

slurp, 23 more

through Latin sorbeō ‘to suck in, drink up’

absorbent, 23 more

through Latin absorbeō ‘to absorb, submerge’

absorb, 17 more

through English absorption

malabsorption, reabsorption, 13 more

Today it means

noun Preoccupation with oneself to the exclusion of everything else.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “self-absorption”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *srebʰ- / self-absorption

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