Nearby Words

absent

[adj., prep. ab-suhnt; v. ab-sent, ab-suhnt] Example Sentences Origin

ab·sent

[adj., prep. ab-suhnt; v. ab-sent, ab-suhnt]
adjective
1.
not in a certain place at a given time; away, missing (opposed to present): absent from class.
2.
lacking; nonexistent: Revenge is absent from his mind.
3.
not attentive; preoccupied; absent-minded: an absent look on his face.
verb (used with object)
4.
to take or keep (oneself) away: to absent oneself from a meeting.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Absent is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
to run away hurriedly; flee.
chat, to converse
preposition
5.
in the absence of; without: Absent some catastrophe, stock-market prices should soon improve.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin absent- (stem of absēns, present participle of abesse to be away (ab- ab- + -s- be (see is) + -ent- -ent))

ab·sen·ta·tion [ab-suhn-tey-shuhn] , noun
ab·sent·er, noun
ab·sent·ness, noun
non·ab·sen·ta·tion, noun


1. out, off.


1. present.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To absent
Example Sentences
  • Absent menstruation means no menstrual flow, or period.
  • If the workplace experience is absent from students' lives, long hours are not.
  • For years, absent fathers have taken the blame for this, because growing up quickly has negative consequences for girls.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
absent
 
adj
1.  away or not present
2.  lacking; missing
3.  inattentive; absent-minded
 
vb
4.  (tr) to remove (oneself) or keep away
 
[C14: from Latin absent-, stem of absēns, present participle of abesse to be away]
 
ab'senter
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

absent
late 14c., from M.Fr. absent (O.Fr. ausent), from L. absentem (nom. absens), prp. of abesse (see absence).
EXPAND

absent
"to keep away" (from), c.1400, from M.Fr. absenter, from L.L. absentare "cause to be away," from L. absentem; see absent (adj.).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature