absent

B1 Topic:Grammar & Function Words

US /ˈæb.sn̩t/ UK /ˈæb.sn̩t/ See IPA manual

adj verb noun prep Freq #8469

Meanings

1

adj
not in a place where you are expected to be

Three students were absent from class today.
2

adj
not existing in a particular situation or thing

Any sense of humour was completely absent from his speech.
3

adj
not paying attention because you are thinking about something else

He gave an absent nod, his mind clearly elsewhere.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · not existing in a... lacking missing

3 adj · not paying attention... absent-minded preoccupied

Word family

Forms absentedabsentingabsentlyabsents

Derived forms absentationabsentativeabsentlyabsentmentabsentnessnonabsentomniabsentreabsent

Related forms absence absentee absenteeismabsentia

Common collocations

absent father Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English absent, from Middle French absent, from Old French ausent, and their source, Latin absens, present participle of absum (“to be away from”), from ab (“away”) + sum (“to be”).

*h₁es- Proto-Indo-European absent Middle English ausent Old French absens Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Grammar & Function Words

# absent

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj, verb, noun, prep
**IPA (US):** ˈæb.sn̩t
**IPA (UK):** ˈæb.sn̩t
**Frequency rank:** 8469

## Meanings
1. not in a place where you are expected to be
2. not existing in a particular situation or thing
3. not paying attention because you are thinking about something else

## Examples
- Three students were absent from class today.
- Any sense of humour was completely absent from his speech.
- He gave an absent nod, his mind clearly elsewhere.

## Derived Forms
- absentation
- absentative
- absently
- absentment
- absentness
- nonabsent
- omniabsent
- reabsent

## Related Forms
- absence
- absentee
- absenteeism
- absentia

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₁es-
- Root: absent
- Root: ausent
- Root: absens
- Affix: ab- - away from

## Etymology
From Middle English absent, from Middle French absent, from Old French ausent, and their source, Latin absens, present participle of absum (“to be away from”), from ab (“away”) + sum (“to be”).

## AI Etymology
Absent comes from Middle English absent, from Middle French absent, from Old French ausent, and their source, Latin absens, present participle of absum (“to be away from”), from ab (“away”) plus sum (“to be”). The historical line also includes Proto-Indo-European *h₁es-. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Grammar & Function Words

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