absence

noun

/ˈæb.s(ə)n̩s/UK/ˈæb.s(ə)n̩s/

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Italic *ap Latin abder. Latin ab- Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- Proto-Indo-European *bʰúHt Proto-Italic *som~*ezom Latin sum Latin absum Latin absēns Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin absentiader. Old French absencebor. Middle English absence English absence From Middle English absence, from Old French absence, ausence, from Latin absentia, from absēns (“absent”), present active participle of absum (“to be away or absent”), from ab (“from, away from”) + sum (“to be”).

derived from absentia
derived from absence
inherited from absence

Definitions

1
A state of being away or withdrawn from a place or from companionship
- Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
2
The period of someone being away.
- During Jane's absence, Mark will be taking charge.
- Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence.
3
Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed
Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendance; deficiency.
- Harry Kane was an absence in that first half. He touched the ball 11 times despite Spurs taking 62% of possession.
- Then, in January, a creeping tsunami of train cancellations, triggered by major staff absences as a result of the aggressive transmissibility of Omicron, heaped further misery on rail users.
›+ 4 more definitionsshow fewer
1. 4
  Lack
  Lack; deficiency; non-existence.
  - He had an absence of enthusiasm.
  - The narrow streets that twist and turn through the compact heart of Dent are surfaced with cobbles which, in the absence of pavements, spread right across from doorstep to doorstep.
2. 5
  Inattention to things present
  Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind).
  - absence of mind
  - Reflecting on the little absences and distractions of mankind.
  - To conquer that abstraction which is called absence.
3. Temporary loss or disruption of consciousness, with sudden onset and recovery, and common…
  Temporary loss or disruption of consciousness, with sudden onset and recovery, and common in epilepsy.
4. Lack of contact between blades.

The neighborhood

synonymmissingness
antonympresenceantonym(s) of “state of being away”
antonymexistenceantonym(s) of “lack, deficiency, nonexistence”
antonympossessionantonym(s) of “lack, deficiency, nonexistence”
antonymsufficiencyantonym(s) of “lack, deficiency, nonexistence”
neighborabsent
neighborabsentee
neighborabsenteeism
neighborabsential

Derived

absement, absence makes the heart go yonder, absence makes the heart grow fonder, absence of mind, absence seizure, absence without leave, conspicuous by one's absence, in the absence of, leave of absence, nonabsence, omniabsence, pseudoabsence

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at absence. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

A definitional loop anchored at absence. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

7 hops · closes at absence

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA