Imbibition

Imbibition is when something drinks water and swells up like a sponge! Imagine you have a dry sponge and you put it in a bowl of water. The sponge will soak up the water and get bigger and softer. This is just like imbibition!

In science, imbibition is when certain materials like seeds, grains or wood absorb water and swell up. When these materials absorb water, they get heavier and softer, which can help them grow or change shape.

For example, when you put a seed in the ground, it absorbs water through imbibition. This causes the seed to swell up and burst open, and the plant inside starts to grow.

Imbibition is a very important process in plants and animals because it helps them grow, stay hydrated and perform many different functions!