Able to soak up liquid (9)
I believe the answer is:
absorbent
'able to soak up liquid' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for absorbent that I've seen before include "able to soak in the sun?" , "soaking it all up?" , "Permeable" , "receptive" , "Sucking up liquid" .)