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(not comparable) Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present; missing.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 Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present.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