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Webster 1913 Edition

Absent

Ab′sent

,
Adj.
[F., fr.
absens
,
absentis
, p. pr. of
abesse
to be away from;
ab
+
esse
to be. Cf.
Sooth
.]
1.
Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present.
“Expecting absent friends.”
Shak.
2.
Not existing; lacking;
as, the part was rudimental or
absent
.
3.
Inattentive to what is passing; absent-minded; preoccupied;
as, an
absent
air
.
What is commonly called an
absent
man is commonly either a very weak or a very affected man.
Chesterfield.
Syn. –
Absent
,
Abstracted
.
These words both imply a lack of attention to surrounding objects. We speak of a man as absent when his thoughts wander unconsciously from present scenes or topics of discourse; we speak of him as abstracted when his mind (usually for a brief period) is drawn off from present things by some weighty matter for reflection. Absence of mind is usually the result of loose habits of thought; abstraction commonly arises either from engrossing interests and cares, or from unfortunate habits of association.

Ab-sent′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Absented
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Absenting
.]
[Cf. F.
absenter
.]
1.
To take or withdraw (one’s self) to such a distance as to prevent intercourse; – used with the reflexive pronoun.
If after due summons any member
absents
himself, he is to be fined.
Addison.
2.
To withhold from being present.
[Obs.]
“Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more.”
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Absent

AB'SENT

,
Adj.
1.
Not present; not in company; at such a distance as to prevent communication. It is used also for being in a foreign country.
A gentleman is absent on his travels.
Absent from one another. Gen. 31:49.
2.
Heedless; inattentive to persons present, or to subjects of conversation in company.
An absent man is uncivil to the company.
3.
In familiar language, not at home; as, the master of the house is absent. In other words, he does not wish to be disturbed by company.

Definition 2024

absent

absent

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Adjective

absent ‎(comparative absenter, superlative absentest)[1]

  1. (not comparable) Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present; missing. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][2]
  2. (not comparable) Not existing; lacking. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][2]
    The part was rudimental or absent.‎
  3. (sometimes comparable) Inattentive to what is passing; absent-minded; preoccupied. [First attested in the early 18th century.][2]
    • 1746-1747, Chesterfield, Letters to his Son:
      What is commonly called an absent man is commonly either a very weak or a very affected man.
Antonyms
Related terms
Translations

Noun

absent ‎(plural absents)

  1. (obsolete) Absentee; a person who is away on occasion. [Attested from around 1350 to 1470 until the early 19th century.][2]

Preposition

absent

  1. In the absence of; without. [First attested in the mid 20th century.][2]
    Absent taxes modern governments cannot function.‎
    • 1919, “State vs. Britt, Supreme Court of Missouri, Division 2”, in The Southwestern Reporter, page 427:
      If the accused refuse upon demand to pay money or deliver property (absent any excuse or excusing circumstance) which came into his hands as a bailee, such refusal might well constitute some evidence of conversion, with the requisite fraudulent intent required by the statute.
    • 2011, David Elstein, London Review of Books, volume 33, number 15:
      the Princess Caroline case […] established that – absent a measurable ‘public interest’ in publication – she was safe from being photographed while out shopping.
Translations

Etymology 2

From Old French absenter, from Late Latin absentare ‎(“keep away, be away”).

Pronunciation

Verb

absent ‎(third-person singular simple present absents, present participle absenting, simple past and past participle absented)

  1. (reflexive) To keep (oneself) away.
    Most of the men are retired, jobless, or have otherwise temporarily absented themselves from the workplace.‎
  2. (transitive, archaic) To keep (someone) away. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][2]
  3. (intransitive, obsolete) Stay away; withdraw. [Attested from around 1350 to 1470 until the late 18th century.][2]
    • 1855, Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom:
      The iron rule of the plantation, always passionately and violently enforced in that neighborhood, makes flogging the penalty of failing to be in the field before sunrise in the morning, unless special permission be given to the absenting slave.
  4. (transitive, rare) Leave. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][2]
Translations

Anagrams

References

  1. ↑ Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], ISBN 0-87779-101-5), page 6
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7), page 8

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absēns, absēntem.

Adjective

absent m, f ‎(masculine and feminine plural absents)

  1. absent

Related terms

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin absēns, absēntem. Compare the popular form ausent.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ap.sɑ̃/

Adjective

absent m ‎(feminine singular absente, masculine plural absents, feminine plural absentes)

  1. absent
  2. absent-minded

Related terms

Noun

absent m ‎(plural absents)

  1. absentee; missing person

Anagrams

Norman

Etymology

From Old French ausent, relatinized on the model of its ancestor, Latin absēns ‎(“absent, missing”), present active participle of absum, abesse ‎(“be away, be absent”).

Adjective

absent m

  1. (Jersey) absent

Derived terms

Romanian

Etymology

From French absent, Latin absēns, absēntem.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /abˈsent/, /apˈsent/

Adjective

absent m, n ‎(feminine singular absentă, masculine plural absenți, feminine and neuter plural absente)

  1. absent

Related terms

Etymology

From Middle English absent, Middle French absent, from Old French ausent, and their source, Latin absens, present participle of abesse ‎(“to be away from”), from ab ‎(“away”) + esse ‎(“to be”).

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