What is absent? How to use in English

Definition & pronunciation of absent

absentadjective

vắng mặt, nghỉ

/ˈabs(ə)nt/

Definition & pronunciation of <b>absent</b>

Where does the word absent come from?

The word "absent" has a rich history! It originated from the Latin word "absens," which is a past participle of the verb "absente," meaning "to be away" or "to be missing." The Latin word is derived from "ab," meaning "from" or "away," and "scoere," meaning "to attend" or "to be present." The Latin word "absens" was first used in the 14th century to describe something or someone that is not present or does not exist at a particular place or time. The word was later borrowed into Middle English as "absent," and has since been used in various contexts, including geography (e.g., absent-mindedly, a place without something) and law (e.g., a person absent from court). Today, the word "absent" is widely used in many languages, including English, French, Spanish, and many others, to describe the state of being away or missing from a place or situation.

Vocabulary summary absent

typeadjective

meaningabsent, away, leave

exampleto absent oneself from school

exampleto absent oneself from work

meaningabsent-minded

examplean absent air

exampleto answer in an absent way

typereflexive verb

meaningabsent, away, leave

exampleto absent oneself from school

exampleto absent oneself from work

Example of vocabulary absentnamespace

meaning

not in a place because of illness, etc.

  • She was absent from work for two weeks.
  • Local people were conspicuously absent from the meeting.
meaning

not present in something

  • Love was totally absent from his childhood.
  • She now played with a passion that had been strangely absent from her previous performance.
meaning

showing that you are not really looking at or thinking about what is happening around you

  • an absent expression

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