Engross

Part of speech: verb (v.)

1. To make gross, thick, or large; to thicken; to increase in bulk or quantity. [Obs.] Waves . . . engrossed with mud. Spenser. Not sleeping, to engross his idle body. Shak.

2. To amass. [Obs.] To engross up glorious deeds on my behalf. Shak.

3. To copy or write in a large hand (en gross, i. e., in large); to write a fair copy of in distinct and legible characters; as, to engross a deed or like instrument on parchment. Some period long past, when clerks engrossed their stiff and formal chirography on more substantial materials. Hawthorne. Laws that may be engrossed on a finger nail. De Quincey.

4. To seize in the gross; to take the whole of; to occupy wholly; to absorb; as, the subject engrossed all his thoughts.

5. To purchase either the whole or large quantities of, for the purpose of enhancing the price and making a profit; hence, to take or assume in undue quantity, proportion, or degree; as, to engross commodities in market; to engross power. Engrossed bill (Legislation), one which has been plainly engrossed on parchment, with all its amendments, preparatory to final action on its passage. -- Engrossing hand (Penmanship), a fair, round style of writing suitable for engrossing legal documents, legislative bills, etc.

Synonyms: absorb; swallow up; imbibe; consume; exhaust; occupy; forestall; monopolize. See Absorb.