absent
pronunciation
How to pronounce absent in British English:
UK [ˈæbsənt]
How to pronounce absent in American English:
US [ ˈæbsənt]
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- Verb:
- go away or leave
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- Adjective:
- not in a specified place physically or mentally
- lost in thought; showing preoccupation
Word Origin
- absent
- absent: [14] Absent is based ultimately on the Latin verb ‘to be’, esse. To this was added the prefix ab- ‘away’, giving Latin abesse ‘be away’; and the present participial stem of abesse was absent-. Hence, via Old French, the adjective absent and the noun absence. It has been conjectured, incidentally, that the present stem used for Latin esse was a descendant of Indo-European *sontos ‘truth’, from which English sooth comes.
- absent (adj.)
- late 14c., from Middle French absent (Old French ausent), from Latin absentem (nominative absens), present participle of abesse "be away from, be absent" (see absence). Related: Absently; absentness.
- absent (v.)
- "to keep away" (from), c. 1400, from Middle French absenter, from Late Latin absentare "cause to be away," from Latin absentem (see absent (adj.)). Related: Absented; absenting.
- absent (prep.)
- "in the absence of," 1944, principally from U.S. legal use, from absent (v.).
Antonym
Example
- 1. He was notably absent from the company 's conference call .
- 2. He was sometimes absent from senate sessions and neglected his whip duties .
- 3. Europeans are fighting on that with the chinese , but the americans are absent there .
- 4. Sometimes faster or louder , sometimes slower or softer , but never absent when the subject ranges towards japan .
- 5. Mr. lee 's remarks infuriated many in china , but he was only speaking frankly to an old and often absent friend .