absence

See also:Absence

English

Alternative forms

• abs.

Etymology

FromMiddle Englishabsence,fromOld Frenchabsence,ausence,fromLatinabsentia,fromabsēns(“absent”),present active participle ofabsum(“I am away or absent”),fromab(“from, away from”)+sum(“I am”).

Pronunciation

• (UK)IPA^(key):/ˈæb.s(ə)n̩s/,/ˈæb.s(ə)n̩ts/
• (General American)
  • IPA^(key):/ˈæb.s(ə)n̩s/,/ˈæb.sn̩ts/
  • (in the medical sense)IPA^(key):/ˈæbsɒns/,/æbˈsɒns/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:(in the medical sense)-ɒns

Noun

absence(usuallyuncountable,pluralabsences)

1. A state of beingawayorwithdrawnfrom a place or fromcompanionship

   Absencemakes the heart grow fonder.

2. The period of someone being away.[First attested around 1350 to 1470.]

   During Jane'sabsence,Mark will be taking charge.

   • 1611,The Holy Bible,[…](King James Version), London:[…]Robert Barker,[…],→OCLC,Philippians2:12:

     Not as in my presence only, but now much more in myabsence.

3. Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendance; deficiency.[First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
   • 2018September 15, Barney Ronay, “Finely tuned Liverpool are really getting intoJürgen Klopp’s groove”, inThe Guardian‎^[1]:

     Harry Kanewas anabsencein that first half. He touched the ball 11 times despite Spurs taking 62% of possession.

   • 2022January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, inRAIL,number948,page 3:

     Then, in January, a creeping tsunami of train cancellations, triggered by major staffabsencesas a result of the aggressive transmissibility of Omicron, heaped further misery on rail users.

4. Lack;deficiency;nonexistence.[First attested around 1350 to 1470.]

   He had anabsenceof enthusiasm.

   • 1826,James Kent,Commentaries on American Law:

     in theabsenceof 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

5. Inattentionto things present;abstraction(of mind).[First attested in the early 18^thcentury.]

   absenceof mind

   • 1711June 9 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison;Richard Steeleet al.], “TUESDAY, May 29, 1711”,inThe Spectator,number77;republished inAlexander Chalmers,editor,The Spectator; a New Edition,[…],volume I, New York, N.Y.:D[aniel] Appleton & Company,1853,→OCLC:

     Reflecting on the littleabsencesand distractions of mankind.

     The spelling has been modernized.

   • c.1824-1829,Walter Landor,Imaginary Conversations:

     To conquer that abstraction which is calledabsence.

6. (medicine)Temporary loss or disruption of consciousness, with sudden onset and recovery, and common in epilepsy.[First attested in the mid 20^thcentury.]
7. (fencing)Lack of contact betweenblades.

Synonyms

• missingness

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of“state of being away”):presence
• (antonym(s) of“lack, deficiency, nonexistence”):existence,possession,sufficiency

Derived terms

• 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

Related terms

• absent
• absentee
• absenteeism
• absential

Translations

state of being away

• Albanian:mungesë(sq)f
• Arabic:غِيَابm(ḡiyāb)

  Egyptian Arabic:غيابm(ḡeyāb)

• Armenian:բացակայություն(hy)(bacʻakayutʻyun)
• Asturian:ausenciaf
• Azerbaijani:yoxluq
• Belarusian:адсу́тнасць(be)f(adsútnascʹ)
• Bulgarian:отсъ́ствие(bg)n(otsǎ́stvie)
• Catalan:ab sắc ncia(ca)f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin:Vắng họp(zh)(quēxí),Không ở(zh)(bùzài)

• Cornish:estrik
• Czech:nepřítomnost(cs)f,absence(cs)f
• Danish:fravær(da)n,mangel(da)c
• Dutch:afwezigheid(nl)f,verstek(nl)n
• Esperanto:foresto(eo)
• Estonian:puudumine(et)
• Finnish:poissaolo(fi);ero(fi)
• French:absence(fr)f
• Galician:ausencia(gl)f
• Georgian:არდასწრება(ardasc̣reba),გამოუცხადებლობა(gamoucxadebloba)
• German:Abwesenheit(de)f,Absenz(de)f
• Greek:απουσία(el)f(apousía)

  Ancient:ἀπουσίαf(apousía)

• Hebrew:הֵעָדֵרm(he'áder)
• Hindi:अनुपस्थिति(hi)f(anupasthiti)
• Hungarian:távollét(hu),távolmaradás(hu)
• Icelandic:fjarveraf
• Ido:absenteso(io)
• Indonesian:ketidakhadiran
• Interlingua:absentia
• Irish:neamhláithreachtf,asláithreachtf
• Italian:assenza(it)f
• Japanese:Thiếu tịch(ja)(けっせき, kesseki),Không ở(ja)(ふざい, fuzai)
• Kazakh:болмау(bolmau),жоқ болу(joq bolu)
• Korean:결석( vắng họp )(ko)(gyeolseok),부재( không ở )(ko)(bujae)
• Latin:absentiaf
• Latvian:prombūtnef
• Lithuanian:nebuvimasm
• Macedonian:отсуствоn(otsustvo)
• Malayalam:അസാന്നിധ്യം(ml)(asānnidhyaṁ)
• Maori:hōneatanga
• Marathi:गैरहजेरीf(gairahjerī),अनुपस्थिती(mr)f(anupasthitī)
• Middle English:absence
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål:fravær(no)n

  Nynorsk:fråværn,fråværen

• Old English:æfweardnesf
• Persian:غیاب(phát)(ğeyâb),غیبت(phát)(ğeybat)
• Polish:nieobecność(pl)f,absencja(pl)f(formal)
• Portuguese:ausência(pt)f
• Romanian:absență(ro)f
• Russian:отсу́тствие(ru)n(otsútstvije),отлу́чка(ru)f(otlúčka)
• Scottish Gaelic:neo-làthaireachdf
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic:о̀дсуствоn,одсу́тно̄стf

  Roman:òdsustvo(sh)n,odsútnōst(sh)f

• Slovak:neprítomnosťf
• Slovene:odsotnostf
• Spanish:ausencia(es)f
• Swedish:frånvaro(sv)c,bortavaro(sv)c,bortovaro(sv)c
• Turkish:yokluk(tr),gıyap(tr)
• Ukrainian:відсу́тністьf(vidsútnistʹ)
• Urdu:غیر موجودگیf(ġair maujūdgī),غائبm(ġā'ib),غیر حاضریf(ġair ḥāẓirī)
• Uzbek:yoʻqlik(uz)
• Welsh:absenoldeb(cy)m

failure to be present where one is expected

• Danish:fravær(da)n,udeblivelsec
• Finnish:poissaolo(fi)
• Hungarian:hiányzás(hu),mulasztás(hu)
• Italian:mancanza(it)
• Marathi:गैरहजेरीf(gairahjerī)
• Middle English:absence
• Polish:nieobecność(pl)f,absencja(pl)f(formal)
• Urdu:غیر حاضریf(ġair ḥāẓirī)
• Welsh:absenoldeb(cy)m

lack; deficiency; non-existence

• Bulgarian:ли́пса(bg)f(lípsa)
• Catalan:ab sắc ncia(ca)f
• Czech:nepřítomnost(cs)f,absence(cs)f
• Danish:fravær(da)n,mangel(da)c
• Dutch:afwezigheid(nl)f,ontbreken(nl)n,gemis(nl)n,tekort(nl)n
• Finnish:puute(fi),puuttuminen(fi)
• French:absence(fr)f,manque(fr)m
• Georgian:არარსებობა(ararseboba),უქონლობა(ukonloba),ნაკლებობა(naḳleboba)
• German:Abwesenheit(de)f,Fehlen(de)n
• Gujarati:ગેરહાજરી(gerhājrī)
• Hungarian:hiány(hu)
• Ido:absenteso(io)
• Irish:uireasaf
• Italian:assenza(it),mancanza(it),difetto(it)m
• Japanese:Thiếu lạc(ja)(けつらく, ketsuraku),Không bảo trì(ふほじ, fuhoji)
• Latin:absentiaf
• Malayalam:അഭാവം(ml)(abhāvaṁ)
• Maori:korenga,kore(mi)
• Marathi:अभावm(abhāv)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål:fravær(no)n,mangel(no)m

  Nynorsk:fråværn,fråværen,mangelm

• Polish:nieobecność(pl)f,brak(pl)m,absencja(pl)f(formal)
• Portuguese:ausência(pt)f,falta(pt)f
• Romanian:absență(ro)f
• Russian:отсу́тствие(ru)n(otsútstvije),нехва́тка(ru)f(nexvátka),недоста́ток(ru)m(nedostátok)
• Scottish Gaelic:easbhaidhf
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic:о̀дсуствоn,ма́њакm

  Roman:òdsustvo(sh)n,mánjak(sh)m

• Slovene:odsotnostf
• Spanish:ausencia(es)f,falta(es)f
• Swedish:frånvaro(sv)c,brist(sv)c,avsaknad(sv)c
• Turkish:yokluk(tr)
• Welsh:diffyg(cy)m

inattention to things present

• Bulgarian:отсъ́ствие(bg)n(otsǎ́stvie)
• Catalan:ab sắc ncia(ca)f
• Czech:nepřítomnost(cs)f
• Danish:åndsfraværn(absence of mind)
• Dutch:verstrooidheid(nl)f
• Finnish:hajamielisyys(fi),poissaolo(fi)
• French:absence(fr)f
• German:Abwesenheit(de)f
• Hungarian:szórakozottság(hu),elkalandozás(hu)
• Japanese:Vô đốn(ja)(むとんちゃく, mutonchaku)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål:(absence of mind)åndsfraværn

  Nynorsk:(absence of mind)åndsfråværn

• Portuguese:faltadeatençãof
• Romanian:neatenție(ro)f,^{(pleaseverify)}(spirituală)absențăf
• Russian:рассе́янность(ru)f(rasséjannostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic:dearmad-inntinnem
• Slovene:odsotnostf
• Spanish:ausencia(es)f

medical: temporary loss or disruption of consciousness

• Finnish:tiedottomuus(fi)
• German:Absence(de)f
• Irish:neamhláithreachtf
• Italian:assenza(it)

fencing: lack of contact between blades

• French:absence(fr),absence du fer
• Italian:invito aperto,ferro libero
• Portuguese:ausência(pt)f,ausência de ferrof
• Spanish:ausencia de hierro,ausencia(es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions atWiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Interlingua:^{(pleaseverify)}absentia
• Italian:^{(pleaseverify)}assenza(it)f
• Romanian:^{(pleaseverify)}absență(ro)f,^{(pleaseverify)}lipsă(ro)f

Anagrams

• casbene

Czech

Etymology

BorrowedfromFrenchabsence,fromLatinabsentia,fromabsēns(“absent”),present active participle ofabsum(“I am away or absent”),fromab(“of, by, from”)+sum(“I am”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ˈapsɛnt͡sɛ]

Noun

absencef

1. absence

Declension

Declension ofabsence(soft feminine)

	singular	plural
nominative	absence	absence
genitive	absence	absencí
dative	absenci	absencím
accusative	absenci	absence
vocative	absence	absence
locative	absenci	absencích
instrumental	absencí	absencemi

Related terms

• Seeesence

Further reading

• “absence”,inPříruční slovník jazyka českého(in Czech),1935–1957
• “absence”,inSlovník spisovného jazyka českého(in Czech),1960–1971, 1989

Danish

Etymology

FromFrenchabsence.

Noun

absencec(singular definiteabsencen,plural indefiniteabsencer)

1. (medicine)petit mal

Inflection

Declension ofabsence

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	absence	absencen	absencer	absencerne
genitive	absences	absencens	absencers	absencernes

Synonyms

• petit mal

References

• “absence”inDen Danske Ordbog

French

Etymology

FromLatinabsentia,fromabsēns(“absent”),present active participle ofabsum(“to be away or absent”),fromab(“of, by, from”)+sum(“to be”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ap.sɑ̃s/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

absencef(pluralabsences)

1. absence(state of being absent orwithdrawn)

Derived terms

• appel en absence
• briller par son absence

Related terms

• absent

Descendants

• →Czech:absence
• →Danish:absence
• →German:Absence
• →Luxembourgish:Absence
• →Romanian:absență

Further reading

• “absence”,inTrésor de la langue française informatisé[Digitized Treasury of the French Language],2012.

Middle English

Etymology

FromOld Frenchabsence,ausence,fromLatinabsentia,fromabsēns(“absent”),present active participle ofabsum(“I am away or absent”),fromab(“of, by, from”)+sum(“I am”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/abˈsɛns(ə)/

Noun

absence(pluralabsences)

1. Beingawayorelsewhere;absence.
2. Nonattendanceornonexistence;failure toappear.

Related terms

• absent

Descendants

• English:absence
• Scots:absence

References

• Stratmann, Francis Henry with Henry Bradley (First published 1891)A Dictionary of Middle English‎^[2],London: Oxford University Press, published1954,page 3