absent

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See also: absént

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

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 (not comparable) Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present; missing.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]
    Due to his business dealings with Xi, Hunter, and Volodymyr, Ramzi is always absent from class.
  2. (not comparable) Not existing; lacking. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][2]
    The part was rudimental or absent.
  3. (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.
    • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
      For days Ailie had an absent eye and a sad face, and it so fell out that in all that time young Heriotside, who had scarce missed a day, was laid up with a broken arm and never came near her.
Antonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Noun[edit]

absent (plural absents)

  1. (with definite article) Something absent, especially absent people collectively; those who were or are not there. [from 15th c.]
    • 1772, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin 2001, 30 May:
      The Applause he met with exceeds all belief of the Absent.
    • 1947, Cecil Day Lewis, Poetic Image:
      That very sense of longing, of yearning for the absent, which 'nostalgia' conveys to us now.
  2. (obsolete, Scotland) An absentee; a person who is not there. [15th–19th c.][3]

Preposition[edit]

absent

  1. In the absence of; without; except. [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.
    • 2013, Stephen K. Wegren, “Agriculture”, in Stephen K. Wegren, editor, Return to Putin's Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, 5th edition, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., →ISBN, page 223:
      About 25 percent of Russia’s large farms continue to be unprofitable, and that number would be considerably higher absent government subsidies and assistance programs.
    • 2019 September 5, Ian Bogost, “I tried to limit my screen time (It didn't go well)”, in The Atlantic‎[1]:
      And the distraction-management software Freedom offers a mode that won’t unlock affected apps absent a telephone-support call.
    • 2020, Anu Bradford, “8. Is the Brussels Effect Beneficial?”, in The Brussels Effect. How the European Union Rules the World, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 258:
      California cannot promulgate regulations that are inconsistent with US federal laws absent an explicit waiver from the federal government.
Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English absenten, from Old French absenter, from Late Latin absentāre (“keep away, be away”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

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.
    • 1701-1703, Addison, Remarks on Italy:
      If after due summons any member absents himself, he is to be fined.
    • 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:
      This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.
  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. […], New York, Auburn, N.Y.: Miller, Orton & Mulligan […], →OCLC:
      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]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN), page 6
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “absent”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 8.
  3. ^ “absent, n.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

Anagrams[edit]

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin absentem. Doublet of ausent.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

absent m or f (masculine and feminine plural absents)

  1. absent
    Antonym: present

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin absentem. Compare the popular form ausent.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

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

  1. absent
  2. absent-minded

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Noun[edit]

absent m (plural absents)

  1. absentee; missing person

Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

German[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

absent (strong nominative masculine singular absenter, not comparable)

  1. absent, not present
  2. absent-minded

Declension[edit]

Positive forms of absent (uncomparable)
number & gender singular plural
masculine feminine neuter
predicative er ist absent sie ist absent es ist absent sie sind absent
strong declension
(without article) 		nominative absenter absente absentes absente
genitive absenten absenter absenten absenter
dative absentem absenter absentem absenten
accusative absenten absente absentes absente
weak declension
(with definite article) 		nominative der absente die absente das absente die absenten
genitive des absenten der absenten des absenten der absenten
dative dem absenten der absenten dem absenten den absenten
accusative den absenten die absente das absente die absenten
mixed declension
(with indefinite article) 		nominative ein absenter eine absente ein absentes (keine) absenten
genitive eines absenten einer absenten eines absenten (keiner) absenten
dative einem absenten einer absenten einem absenten (keinen) absenten
accusative einen absenten eine absente ein absentes (keine) absenten

Norman[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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[edit]

absent m

  1. (Jersey) absent

Derived terms[edit]

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Learned borrowing from Latin absēns. First attested in 1571–1632.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

absent m animacy unattested

  1. The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
    1. (Middle Polish) absence
    2. (Middle Polish) absentee

Declension[edit]

Attested forms of *absent
singular plural
nominative — —
genitive — absentów
dative — —
accusative — —
instrumental — —
locative — —
vocative — —

Related terms[edit]

adjective
nouns
verb

References[edit]

  • Marek Kunicki-Goldfinger (29.09.2014) “ABSENT”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century]

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French absent, Latin absēns, absēntem.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /abˈsent/, /apˈsent/

Adjective[edit]

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

  1. absent
    Antonym: prezent

Declension[edit]

Declension of absent
singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite absent absentă absenți absente
definite absentul absenta absenții absentele
genitive/
dative 		indefinite absent absente absenți absente
definite absentului absentei absenților absentelor

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

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