Lexic.us

Definition of Absent

1. Adjective. Not being in a specified place.

2. Verb. Go away or leave. "He absented himself"

3. Adjective. Nonexistent. "Her appetite was lacking"

4. Adjective. Lost in thought; showing preoccupation. "The scatty glancing quality of a hyperactive but unfocused intelligence"

Definition of Absent

1. a. Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present.

2. v. t. To take or withdraw (one's self) to such a distance as to prevent intercourse; -- used with the reflexive pronoun.

Definition of Absent

1. Adjective. (context: not comparable) Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present; missing. ¹

2. Adjective. (context: not comparable) Not existing; lacking. ¹

3. Adjective. (context: sometimes comparable) Inattentive to what is passing; absent-minded; preoccupied. ¹

4. Preposition. (context: legal) In the absence of; without. ¹

5. Verb. (context: transitive obsolete) To withhold from being present ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Absent

1. to take or keep away [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Medical Definition of Absent

1. 1. Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present. "Expecting absent friends." 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) Synonym: 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. Origin: F, fr. Absens, absentis, p. Pr. Of abesse to be away from; ab + esse to be. Cf. Sooth. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Absent

abseil abseiled abseiler abseilers abseiling abseils absence absence makes the heart grow fonder absence of mind absence seizure

absence seizures absence without leave absences absencies absency absent (current term) absent-minded absent-minded professor absent-minded professors absent-mindedly

absent-mindedness absent distal clavicle absent nasal septum absent over leave absent referent absent referents absent state absent voter absent voters absent without leave

Literary usage of Absent

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

1. Annual Report (1912)
"Present CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA absent CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA absent CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Present COLUMBUS, OHIO Present DAVENPORT, IOWA absent DAYTON, ..."

2. Mark Twain: The Personal and Literary Life of Samuel Langhorne Clemens by Albert Bigelow Paine (1912)
"... incidental thing seemed not to find a fixed place in his deeper consciousness. By no means was Mark Twain's absent-mindedness a development ..."

3. The Novels of Jane Austen by Jane Austen (1892)
"of his profession, and the foreign stations he had been on ; but she could not mention the number of years that he had been absent without tears in her eyes ..."

4. Curiosities of Literature by Isaac Disraeli (1823)
"... the extravagant and pernicious doctrines of the domineering papistical church. THE absent MAN. ... absent Man the reader is well acquainted. ..."

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