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not in a certain place at a given time; away, missing (opposed to ):
absent from cl-ss.
lacking; nonexistent:
revenge is absent from his mind.
not attentive; preoccupied; absent-minded:
an absent look on his face.
to take or keep (oneself) away:
to absent oneself from a meeting.
in the of; without:
absent some catastrophe, stock-market prices should soon improve.
historical examples

the chevalier bigot does not lose his politeness, however long he absents himself!
the golden dog william kirby

any scholar who absents himself at other times, even by leave, or breaks his leave, shall lose the time.
the story of the “britannia” e. p. statham

and to this they added such compliments as: votre sant; les absents nont pas toujours tort.
from paris to pekin over siberian snows victor meignan

o woman, best are all things as the will of g-d ordains them; therefore go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more.
the mormon prophet and his harem c.v. waite

some castes fine a member who absents himself from the meeting.
the tribes and castes of the central provinces of india–volume i (of iv) r.v. russell

the p-ssenger who absents himself from the concert which all other p-ssengers attend, is both impolite and ill-bred.
book of etiquette, volume 2 lillian eichler watson

he absents himself more and more from beethovens lodgings and spends less and less time at his own.
the life of ludwig van beethoven, volume iii (of 3) alexander wheelock thayer

how i grieve at whatever may be the cause which absents him from his family!
the diary and letters of madame d’arblay, vol. 1 (of 3) f-nny burney

adjective (ˈæbsənt)
away or not present
lacking; missing
inattentive; absent-minded
verb (æbˈsɛnt)
(transitive) to remove (oneself) or keep away
adj.

late 14c., from middle french absent (old french ausent), from latin absentem (nominative absens), present participle of abesse “be away from, be absent” (see absence). related: absently; absentness.
v.

“to keep away” (from), c.1400, from middle french absenter, from late latin absentare “cause to be away,” from latin absentem (see absent (adj.)). related: absented; absenting.
prep.

“in the absence of,” 1944, princ-p-lly from u.s. legal use, from absent (v.).