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Definition of presence - 3 dictionary results

pres⋅ence

[prez-uhns]
–noun
1. the state or fact of being present, as with others or in a place.
2. attendance or company: Your presence is requested.
3. immediate vicinity; proximity: in the presence of witnesses.
4. the military or economic power of a country as reflected abroad by the stationing of its troops, sale of its goods, etc.: the American military presence in Europe; the Japanese presence in the U.S. consumer market.
5. Chiefly British. the immediate personal vicinity of a great personage giving audience or reception: summoned to her presence.
6. the ability to project a sense of ease, poise, or self-assurance, esp. the quality or manner of a person's bearing before an audience: The speaker had a good deal of stage presence.
7. personal appearance or bearing, esp. of a dignified or imposing kind: a man of fine presence.
8. a person, esp. of noteworthy appearance or compelling personality: He is a real presence, even at a private party.
9. a divine or supernatural spirit felt to be present: He felt a presence with him in the room.
10. British Obsolete. presence chamber.

Origin:
1300–50; ME < MF < L praesentia. See present 1 , -ence


3. neighborhood. 6. carriage, mien.


1. absence.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To presence
pres·ence   (prěz'əns)   
n.  
  1. The state or fact of being present; current existence or occurrence.

  2. Immediate proximity in time or space.

  3. The area immediately surrounding a great personage, especially a sovereign.

  4. A person who is present.

    1. A person's bearing, especially when it commands respectful attention: "He continues to possess the presence, mental as well as physical, of the young man" (Brendan Gill).

    2. The quality of self-assurance and effectiveness that permits a performer to achieve a rapport with the audience: stage presence.

  5. A supernatural influence felt to be nearby.

  6. The diplomatic, political, or military influence of a nation in a foreign country, especially as evidenced by the posting of its diplomats or its troops there: "The American diplomatic presence in London began in 1785 when John Adams became our first minister" (Nancy Holmes).

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

presence 
c.1330, "fact of being present," from O.Fr. presence (12c.), from L. præsentia "a being present," from præsentem (see present (n.)). Meaning "carriage, demeanor, aspect" (especially if impressive) is from 1579; that of "divine, spiritual or incorporeal being felt as present" is from 1667. Presence of mind (1665) is a loan-transl. of Fr. présence d'esprit, L. præsentia animi.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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