absentee

See also: absentée

English

Etymology

absent +‎ -ee

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌæb.sn̩ˈti/
• Rhymes: -iː

Noun

absentee (plural absentees)

1. A person who is absent from his or her employment, school, post, duty, etc. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
2. (chiefly Britain, historical) A landholder who lives in another district or country than the one in which his estate is situated. [First attested in the early 17^th century.]
   • 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!

3. One that is nonexistent or lacking.
4. A voter that is not present at the time of voting; absentee voter. [First attested in the early 20^th century.]

Related terms

• absenteeism

Translations

person who is absent

• Dutch: afwezige (nl)
• Finnish: poissaoleva (fi)
• French: absent (fr) m
• Gallurese: assenti
• German: Abwesender m, Abwesende f
• Greek: απών (el) m (apón)
• Italian: assente (it)
• Maori: kaitakē

• Portuguese: ausente (pt) m, f
• Russian: отсу́тствующий (ru) m (otsútstvujuščij)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese Sardinian: ausente, stesiau

  Logudorese Sardinian: ausente

• Sassarese: assenti
• Spanish: ausente (es) m, f

landholder who doesn't live where his estate is

• Portuguese: absentista m, f

one that is nonexistent or lacking

• Finnish: poissaoleva (fi)

voter that is not present at the time of voting — see absentee voter

Adjective

absentee (not comparable)

1. (attributive) Pertaining to one that is absent. [First attested in the mid 19^th century.]

Translations

pertaining to one who is absent

• Finnish: poissaoleva (fi)

References

• absentee in An American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster, 1828.
• absentee in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• “absentee” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.