sponge

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

Old English spunge, from Latin spongia, from Ancient Greek σπογγιά (spongia), related to σπόγγος (spongos).

Pronunciation

• enPR: spŭnj, IPA: /spʌndʒ/, SAMPA: /spVndZ/

  Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌndʒ

Noun

sponge (countable and uncountable; plural sponges)

A marine sponge can be used as a washing sponge

1. (countable) Any of various marine invertebrates, mostly of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
2. (countable) A piece of porous material used for washing (originally made from the invertebrates, now often made of plastic).
3. (uncountable) A porous material such as sponges consist of.
4. (informal) A heavy drinker.
5. (countable, uncountable) A type of light cake; sponge cake.
6. (countable, uncountable, UK) A type of steamed pudding.
7. (slang) A person who takes advantage of the generosity of others (abstractly imagined to absorb or soak up the money or efforts of others like a sponge).
8. (countable) A form of contraception that is inserted vaginally; a contraceptive sponge.

Synonyms

• (marine invertebrate): sea sponge, bath sponge
• (piece of porous material used for washing): bath sponge
• (light cake): sponge cake
• (type of steamed pudding): sponge pudding
• (person): freeloader, sponger

Derived terms

• breadcrumb sponge
• sea sponge
• spongey
• sponge bath
• sponge cake

See also

• foam

Translations

marine invertebrate with a porous skeleton

Ancient Greek: σπόγγος m. (spóngos) Arabic: اسفنج ('isfanj) Bosnian: spužva (bs) f. Catalan: esponja (ca) f. Chinese: Mandarin: 海綿 (zh), 海绵 (zh) (hǎimián) Croatian: spužva (hr) f. Dutch: spons (nl) f. Esperanto: spongo (eo) Finnish: pesusieni (fi) French: éponge (fr) f. German: Schwamm (de) m. Greek: Ancient: σπόγγος (spóngos) m. Modern: σφουγγάρι (el) (sfoungári) n. Hebrew: ספוג (he) (sfog) m. Hungarian: szivacs (hu) Icelandic: svampur (is) m. Italian: spugna (it) f.

Japanese: 海綿 (ja) (かいめん, kaimen) Korean: 갯솜 Latin: spongia (la) f. Macedonian: сунѓер (mk) (súnǵer) m. Navajo: táłtłʼááh yilcháazhii Norwegian: svamp (no) m. Pashto: سپنج (ps) (spanj) m. Persian: اسفنج (esfanj) Polish: gąbka (pl) f. Portuguese: esponja (pt) f. Romanian: burete (ro) m., spongie (ro) f. Russian: губка (ru) (gúbka) f. Serbian: Cyrillic: спужва f. Roman: spužva f. Spanish: esponja (es) f. Telugu: స్పాంజి (spaaMji) Turkish: sünger (tr) Urdu: اسفنج (isfanj)

piece of porous material used for washing

Arabic: سفنج (ar) (safing) m. Armenian: սպունգ (hy) (spung) Catalan: esponja (ca) f. Czech: houba (cs) f. Danish: svamp (da) c. Finnish: pesusieni (fi) French: éponge (fr) f. German: Schwamm (de) m. Greek: σφουγγάρι (el) (sfoungári) n. Hebrew: ספוג (he) (sfog) m. Hungarian: szivacs (hu) Icelandic: svampur (is) m.

Indonesian: spons (id) Italian: spugna (it) f. Japanese: スポンジ (ja) (suponji) Macedonian: сунѓер (mk) (súnǵer) m. Norwegian: svamp (no) m. Pashto: سپنج (ps) (spanj) m. Portuguese: esponja (pt) f. Romanian: burete (ro) m. Russian: губка (ru) (gúbka) f., мочалка (ru) (močálka) f. Serbian: sunđer (sr) Spanish: esponja (es) f. Turkish: sünger (tr)

porous material

Catalan: esponja (ca) f. Finnish: sieni (fi) Greek: σφουγγάρι (el) (sfoungári) n. Hungarian: szivacsanyag (hu)

Macedonian: сунѓер (mk) (súnǵer) m. Pashto: سپنج (ps) (spanj) m. Russian: губка (ru) (gúbka) f. Turkish: sünger (tr)

informal: heavy drinker

Finnish: sieni (fi) French: ivrogne (fr) m. and f., soulard (fr) m.

Greek: σφουγγάρι (el) (sfoungári) n. Macedonian: сунѓер (mk) (súnǵer) m.

sponge cake — see sponge cake

sponge pudding — see sponge pudding

slang: person who takes advantage of the generosity of others

Finnish: siipeilijä (fi)

German: Schnorrer (de) m. Spanish: cafiche (es) m., gorrón (es) m.

Verb

sponge (third-person singular simple present sponges, present participle sponging, simple past and past participle sponged)

1. (slang) To take advantage of the kindness of others.

   He has been sponging off his friends for a month now.

2. To clean, soak up, or dab with a sponge.

Synonyms

• blag

Translations

to take advantage of others

Finnish: siipeillä (fi) German: schnorren (de)

Russian: пользоваться Spanish: cafichear (es), gorronear (es)

to clean with a sponge

Catalan: esponjar (ca) Finnish: puhdistaa (fi) sienellä (fi)

French: éponger (fr)