Also 7–8 spunginess. [f. SPONGY a. + -NESS.]
1. Spongy or porous character, nature or quality.
α. 1610. Markham, Masterp., I. lxiv. 134. It through the sponginesse is apt to sucke in all manner of filth.
1659. H. More, Immort. Soul, II. ix. 214. The sponginess & laxness of the Brain.
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 603. In what the soil extracts from the stream by its sponginess.
1836–41. Brande, Chem. (ed. 5), 512. Animal Charcoal … often has a peculiar lustre and sponginess.
1883. J. Millington, Are we to read backwards? 76. The paper should be … free from sponginess.
β. 1611. Florio, Móllo,… the soft or spunginesse of any thing, as of crummes of bread.
1707. Mortimer, Husbandry (1721), II. 20. Because of its spunginess the Rain easily penetrates.
1788. Med. Comm., II. 209. A spunginess … of the membrane.
b. fig. and transf.
a. 1631. Donne, Serm., cii. Wks. 1839, IV. 370. For this plurality … of Sin hath first found a Sponginess in the Soule.
1670. Clarendon, Contempl. Ps., Tracts (1727), 666. We must have all that looseness and spunginess of our hearts removed.
1852. Mundy, Antipodes (1857), 29. The size and sponginess of the two Sydney butchers.
2. Path. The characteristic soft fungous condition of the gums in scurvy.
1873. F. T. Roberts, Handbk. Med., 824. Sponginess of the gums with tendency to bleed, and rapid destruction of the teeth are frequently noticed.
1897. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., II. 158. It … frequently begins with a simple sponginess of gums.
