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absence - 6 dictionary results

ab⋅sence

  [ab-suhns]
Use absence in a Sentence
–noun
1. state of being away or not being present: I acted as supervisor in his absence. Your absence was noted on the records.
2. period of being away: an absence of several weeks.
3. failure to attend or appear when expected.
4. lack; deficiency: the absence of proof.
5. inattentiveness; preoccupation; absent-mindedness: absence of mind.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < MF < L absentia. See absent, -ia

Antonyms:
1. presence.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ab·sence   (āb'səns)   
n.  
  1. The state of being away.
  2. The time during which one is away.
  3. Lack; want: an absence of leadership.
  4. The state of being absent-minded; inattentiveness: absence of mind.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Absence

Ab"sence\, n. [F., fr. L. absentia. See Absent.]

1. A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship; -- opposed to presence.

Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. --Phil. ii. 12.

2. Want; destitution; withdrawal. "In the absence of conventional law." --Kent.

3. Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind); as, absence of mind. "Reflecting on the little absences and distractions of mankind." --Addison.

To conquer that abstraction which is called absence. --Landor.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : absence
Spanish: ausencia,
German: die Abwesenheit,
Japanese: 欠席
More Translations »

absence 
c.1374, from O.Fr. absence, from L. absentem (nom. absens, gen. absentis), prp. of abesse "be away," from ab- "away" + esse "to be."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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absence ab·sence (āb'səns)
n.
See petit mal.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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absence

In addition to the idiom beginning with absence, also see conspicuous by its absence.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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