ABSENT

absent, absentminded, abstracted, scatty

(adjective) lost in thought; showing preoccupation; “an absent stare”; “an absentminded professor”; “the scatty glancing quality of a hyperactive but unfocused intelligence”

lacking, absent, missing, wanting

(adjective) nonexistent; “the thumb is absent”; “her appetite was lacking”

absent

(adjective) not being in a specified place

absent, remove

(verb) go away or leave; “He absented himself”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Adjective

absent (comparative absenter, superlative absentest)

(not comparable) Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present; missing. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]

(not comparable) Not existing; lacking. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]

(sometimes, comparable) Inattentive to what is passing; absent-minded; preoccupied. [First attested in the early 18th century.]

Antonyms

• present

Noun

absent (plural absents)

(with definite article) Something absent, especially absent people collectively; those who were or are not there. [from 15th c.]

(obsolete) An absentee; a person who is not there. [15th–19th c.]

Preposition

absent

In the absence of; without; except. [First attested in the mid 20th century.]

Etymology 2

Verb

absent (third-person singular simple present absents, present participle absenting, simple past and past participle absented)

(reflexive) To keep (oneself) away.

(transitive, archaic) To keep (someone) away. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]

(intransitive, obsolete) Stay away; withdraw. [Attested from around 1350 to 1470 until the late 18th century.]

(transitive, rare) Leave. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]

Anagrams

• Basnet, Batens, abnets, basnet, besant

Source: Wiktionary


Ab"sent, a. Etym: [F., fr. absens, absentis, p. pr. of abesse to be away from; ab + esse to be. Cf. Sooth.]

1. Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present. "Expecting absent friends." Shak.

2. Not existing; lacking; as, the part was rudimental or absent.

3. Inattentive to what is passing; absent-minded; preoccupied; as, an absent air. What is commonly called an absent man is commonly either a very weak or a very affected man. Chesterfield.

Syn.

– Absent, Abstracted. These words both imply a want of attention to surrounding objects. We speak of a man as absent when his thoughts wander unconsciously from present scenes or topics of discourse; we speak of him as abstracted when his mind (usually for a brief period) is drawn off from present things by some weighty matter for reflection. Absence of mind is usually the result of loose habits of thought; abstraction commonly arises either from engrossing interests and cares, or from unfortunate habits of association.

Ab*sent", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Absented; p. pr. & vb. n. Absenting.] Etym: [Cf. F. absenter.]

1. To take or withdraw (one's self) to such a distance as to prevent intercourse; -- used with the reflexive pronoun. If after due summons any member absents himself, he is to be fined. Addison.

2. To withhold from being present. [Obs.] "Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more." Milton.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

24 November 2024

CUNT

(noun) a person (usually but not necessarily a woman) who is thoroughly disliked; “she said her son thought Hillary was a bitch”


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Coffee Trivia

The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appeared in modern-day Yemen. In the middle of the 15th century in Sufi shrines where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed for drinking. The Yemenis procured the coffee beans from the Ethiopian Highlands.

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