Lexic.us

Definition of Absence

1. Noun. The state of being absent. "He was surprised by the absence of any explanation"

2. Noun. Failure to be present.

3. Noun. The time interval during which something or somebody is away. "He visited during my absence"

4. Noun. The occurrence of an abrupt, transient loss or impairment of consciousness (which is not subsequently remembered), sometimes with light twitching, fluttering eyelids, etc.; common in petit mal epilepsy.

Definition of Absence

1. n. A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship; -- opposed to presence.

Definition of Absence

1. Noun. A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship. ¹

2. Noun. Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendence; deficiency. ¹

3. Noun. Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind) ¹

4. Noun. (medical) Temporary lossor disruption of consciousness, with sudden onset and recovery, and common in epilepsy. ¹

5. Noun. (fencing) Lack of contact between blades. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Absence

1. the state of being away [n -S]

Medical Definition of Absence

1. Paroxysmal attacks of impaired consciousness, occasionally accompanied by spasm or twitching of cephalic muscles, which usually can be brought on by hyperventilation; depending on the type and severity of the absence, the EEG may show an abrupt onset of a 3/sec spike and wave pattern as in simple absence, or in atypical cases, a 4/sec spike and wave or faster spike complexes. The clinical states accompanying these EEG abnormalities may be classified as: 1) absence with no overt manifestations, e.g., simple absence; epileptic absence; subclinical absence; 2) absence with clonic movements, e.g., myoclonic absence; 3) absence with atonic states, e.g., atonic absence; 4) absence with tonic contractions, e.g., hypertonic muscular contraction; 5) absence with automatisms, e.g., various stereotyped movements, usually of the face or hands; 6) absence with atypical features, e.g., bizarre motor activity. Origin: L. Absentia (05 Mar 2000)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Absence

absconder absconders absconding abscondings abscondment absconds absconsio abscopal abscopal effect abseil

abseiled abseiler abseilers abseiling abseils absence (current term) absence makes the heart grow fonder absence of mind absence seizure absence seizures

absence without leave absences absencies absency absent absent-minded absent-minded professor absent-minded professors absent-mindedly absent-mindedness

Literary usage of Absence

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: Or, The Preservation of by Charles Darwin (1900)
"On the absence of intermediate varieties at. the present day—On the nature of extinct intermediate varieties; on their number— On the lapse of time, ..."

2. Monographic Medicine by William Robie Patten Emerson, Guido Guerrini, William Brown, Wendell Christopher Phillips, John Whitridge Williams, John Appleton Swett, Hans Günther, Mario Mariotti, Hugh Grant Rowell (1916)
"(d) Effects of absence of Bile from the Intestine (Intestinal ... colored stools appear, owing to faulty assimilation of fats and absence of bile pigments. ..."

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