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absentee

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: absentée

English

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Etymology

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From absent +‎ -ee.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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absentee (plural absentees)

  1. A person who is absent from his or her employment, school, post, duty, etc. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][1]
    At roll-call there were three absentees.
    1. (attributive) Designating a person absent in a particular capacity, sometimes implying that they are difficult to contact, unresponsive, avoiding their responsibilities, etc. [First attested in the mid 19th century.][1]
      absentee father; absentee landlord; absentee freeholder
  2. Something that is not present where it might be expected.
    The manufacturer's promised new model was a notable absentee at the car show.
  3. (attributive) Designating something whose owner, person responsible, etc. is absent.
    absentee ballot, absentee property
    • 2024 March 17, Daniel Medina and Bob Ortega, “Emails show how a right-wing group steers GOP leaders on major policy issues”, in CNN‎[1]:
      In Wyoming, a GOP state senator forwarded an FGA draft bill to Secretary of State Chuck Gray that would prohibit sending out unsolicited absentee ballot request forms.
  4. (chiefly British, historical) A landholder who lives in another district or country than the one in which his estate is situated. [First attested in the early 17th century.][1]
    • 1840, Lord Byron, “Letter 374: to Mr. Moore (24 May 1820)”, in John Murray, editor, The Works of Lord Byron: With His Letters and Journals, and His Life, page 317:
      My trustees are going to lend Earl Blessington sixty thousand pounds (at six per cent.) on a Dublin mortgage. Only think of my becoming an Irish absentee!
  5. A voter who is not present at the time of voting; absentee voter. [First attested in the early 20th century.][1]
    • 2020 September 14, Richard H. Pildes, “The three words that can avert an election nightmare”, in CNN‎[2]:
      In recent primaries, for example, nearly 4% of absentees were rejected in Philadelphia; 8% in Kentucky; and 20% in parts of New York City.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief, William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “absentee”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 8.
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