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at present

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pres⋅ent

1[prez-uhnt]
–adjective
1. being, existing, or occurring at this time or now; current: the present ruler.
2. at this time; at hand; immediate: articles for present use.
3. Grammar.
a. noting an action or state occurring at the moment of speaking. Knows is a present form in He knows that.
b. noting or pertaining to a tense or other verb formation with such meaning.
4. being with one or others or in the specified or understood place: to be present at the wedding.
5. being here: Is everyone present?
6. existing or occurring in a place, thing, combination, or the like: Carbon is present in many minerals.
7. being actually here or under consideration: the present document; the present topic.
8. being before the mind.
9. Obsolete. mentally alert and calm, esp. in emergencies.
10. Obsolete. immediate or instant.
–noun
11. the present time.
12. Grammar.
a. the present tense.
b. a verb formation or construction with present meaning.
c. a form in the present.
13. presents, Law. the present writings, or this document, used in a deed of conveyance, a lease, etc., to denote the document itself: Know all men by these presents.
14. Obsolete. the matter in hand.
15. at present, at the present time or moment; now: There are no job openings here at present.
16. for the present, for now; temporarily: For the present, we must be content with matters as they stand.

Origin:
1250–1300; (adj.) ME < OF < L praesent- (s. of praesēns) prp. of praeësse to be present, before others, i.e., to preside, be in charge; (n.) ME: presence, spatial or temporal present; partly deriv. of the adj., partly < OF. See pre-, is, -ent


pres⋅ent⋅ness, noun


1. extant. See current.


1. absent.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To at present
pres·ent 1   (prěz'ənt)   
n.  
  1. A moment or period in time perceptible as intermediate between past and future; now.

  2. Grammar

    1. The present tense.

    2. A verb form in the present tense.

  3. presents Law The document or instrument in question: Be it known by these presents.

adj.  
  1. Existing or happening now; current: the present leader; present trends.

    1. Being at hand or in attendance: Thirty guests were present at the ceremony.

    2. Existing in something specified: Oxygen is present in the bloodstream.

  2. Now being considered; actually here or involved: the present subject; present company excepted.

  3. Grammar Designating a verb tense or form that expresses current time.

  4. Archaic Readily available; immediate.

  5. Obsolete Alert to circumstances; attentive.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praesēns, praesent-, present participle of praeesse, to be present : prae-, pre- + esse, to be; see es- in Indo-European roots.]
pres'ent·ness n.
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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Word Origin & History

present  (n.)
c.1225, "thing offered, gift," from O.Fr. present, in phrases en present "(to offer) in the presence of," mettre en present "place before, give," from L.L. inpraesent "face to face," from L. in re præsenti "in the situation in question," from præsens "being there" (see present (adj.)), on the notion of "bringing something into someone's presence." Meaning "this point in time" (opposed to past and future) is attested from c.1500.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pre·sent
Pronunciation: pri-'zent
Function: transitive verb
: to show or manifest present symptoms of malaria>present intransitive senses
1 a : to become manifest presents with erythema migrans, fatigue, fever, and chills> present before 10 months and even one year —H. R. Litchfield & L. H. Dembo> b : to come forward as a patient presented with grossly swollen ankles and large varicose veins —T. E. Greene>
2 : to become directed toward the opening of the uterus —used of a fetusor a part of a fetus present by breech —Year Book of Obstetrics & Gynecology>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

present pre·sent (prĭ-zěnt')
v. pre·sent·ed, pre·sent·ing, pre·sents

  1. To appear or be felt first during birth. Used of the part of the fetus that proceeds first through the birth canal.

  2. To come before a doctor or nurse, as with a medical problem or condition.

  3. To manifest a symptom.

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

at present

Also, at the present time. Now, as in I've not enough cash at present to lend you any, or At present the house is still occupied. This slightly longer way of saying "at this time" formerly was even longer at this present or at that presentdenoting a more specific time. [Mid-1600s] Also see at this point.

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