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

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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(not comparable) Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present; missing.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 18^th 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 20^th 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 18^th century.]

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

Anagrams

• Basnet, Batens, abnets, basnet, besant

Source: Wiktionary

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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 Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present.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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