Engrosses

Engrosses is the third-person singular present tense of the verb engross. The verb means to occupy all of someone's attention or time; to absorb completely; to engross a person in a task or topic.

Etymology and background: Engross derives from Old French en gross, literally “in bulk” or “in large,” from gros meaning large. The sense of taking in or absorbing input gradually broadened to include mental focus as well as physical quantity.

Usage: In everyday language, something that captivates attention can be described as engrossing. For example, a book may engross someone, or a long report may engross the reader. The subject of engrossment is typically followed by in or with when indicating what holds the attention (engrossed in the novel, engrossed with the debate). The verb can take a direct object (The novel engrossed him) and can appear in passive constructions (He was engrossed by the documentary).

Legal and legislative usage: In parliamentary procedure, to engross a bill means to prepare its final, corrected form for House or Senate passage. An engrossed bill is the completed version, typically formatted for formal voting. Engrossment refers to the process or result of producing this final text, including the integration of amendments before the next stage.

See also: Engrossment (law), engrossed bill, attention, absorption.