absence
See also: Absence
EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English absence, from Old French absence, ausence, from Latin absentia, from absēns (“absent”), present active participle of absum (“I am away or absent”), from ab (“from, away from”) + sum (“I am”).
PronunciationEdit
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈæb.s(ə)n̩s/, /ˈæb.s(ə)n̩ts/
- (General American)
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: (in the medical sense) -ɒns
NounEdit
absence (usually uncountable, plural absences)
- A state of being away or withdrawn from a place or from companionship
- Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
- The period of someone being away. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][1]
- During Jane's absence, Mark will be taking charge.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Philippians 2:12:
- Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence.
- Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendance; deficiency. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][1]
- 2018 September 15, Ronay, Barney, “Finely tuned Liverpool are really getting into Jürgen Klopp’s groove”, in The Guardian[1]:
- Harry Kane was an absence in that first half. He touched the ball 11 times despite Spurs taking 62% of possession.
- 2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3:
- 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.
- Lack; deficiency; nonexistence. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][1]
- He had an absence of enthusiasm.
- 1826, James Kent, Commentaries on American Law
- in the absence of higher and more authoritative sanctions the ordinances of foreign states, the opinions of eminent statesmen, and the writings of distinguished jurists, are regarded as of great consideration on questions not settled by conventional law
- Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind). [First attested in the early 18th century.][1]
- absence of mind
- 1711 June 9 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison; Richard Steele [et al.], “TUESDAY, May 29, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 77; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
- Reflecting on the little absences and distractions of mankind.
- c. 1824-1829, Landor, Walter, Imaginary Conversations:
- To conquer that abstraction which is called absence.
- (medicine) Temporary loss or disruption of consciousness, with sudden onset and recovery, and common in epilepsy. [First attested in the mid 20th century.][1]
- (fencing) Lack of contact between blades.
SynonymsEdit
AntonymsEdit
- (state of being away): presence
- (lack, deficiency, nonexistence): existence, possession, sufficiency
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
state of being away
|
failure to be present where one is expected
lack; deficiency; non-existence
|
inattention to things present
|
medical: temporary loss or disruption of consciousness
|
fencing: lack of contact between blades
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief; William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors (2002), “absence”, in The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 8.
AnagramsEdit
CzechEdit
EtymologyEdit
Borrowed from French absence, from Latin absentia, from absēns (“absent”), present active participle of absum (“I am away or absent”), from ab (“of, by, from”) + sum (“I am”).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
absence f
DeclensionEdit
Related termsEdit
- See esence
Further readingEdit
DanishEdit
EtymologyEdit
NounEdit
absence c (singular definite absencen, plural indefinite absencer)
InflectionEdit
Declension of absence
| common gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | absence | absencen | absencer | absencerne |
| genitive | absences | absencens | absencers | absencernes |
SynonymsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “absence” in Den Danske Ordbog
FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Latin absentia, from absēns (“absent”), present active participle of absum (“to be away or absent”), from ab (“of, by, from”) + sum (“to be”).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
absence f (plural absences)
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “absence”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old French absence, ausence, from Latin absentia, from absēns (“absent”), present active participle of absum (“I am away or absent”), from ab (“of, by, from”) + sum (“I am”).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
absence (plural absences)
- Being away or elsewhere; absence.
- Nonattendance or nonexistence; failure to appear.
Related termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- Stratmann, Francis Henry; Henry Bradley (First published 1891) A Dictionary of Middle English[2], London: Oxford University Press, published 1954, page 3