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Absent vs Absentia - What's the difference?

absent | absentia |

As nouns the difference between absent and absentia

is that absent is absentee; a person who is away on occasion while absentia is absence.

As an adjective absent

is being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present; missing.

As a preposition absent

is in the absence of; without.

As a verb absent

is keep away; stay away; go away.

absent

English

Alternative forms

*

Etymology 1

* From (etyl) absent, (etyl) .

Adjective

(er)
  • (not comparable) Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present; missing.
  • * 1623 , (William Shakespeare), All’s Well That Ends Well, II-iii
  • Expecting absent friends.
  • (not comparable) Not existing; lacking.
  • The part was rudimental or absent .
  • (sometimes, comparable) Inattentive to what is passing; absent-minded; preoccupied.
  • * 1746-1747 , Chesterfield, Letters to his Son
  • What is commonly called an absent man is commonly either a very weak or a very affected man.
    Antonyms
    * present

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (obsolete) Absentee; a person who is away on occasion.
  • Preposition

    (English prepositions)
  • (legal) In the absence of; without.
  • * 1919 , State vs. Britt, Supreme Court of Missouri, Division 2, in The Southwestern Reporter , page 427
  • If the accused refuse upon demand to pay money or deliver property (absent any excuse or excusing circumstance) which came into his hands as a bailee, such refusal might well constitute some evidence of conversion, with the requisite fraudulent intent required by the statute.
  • * 2011 , David Elstein, letter, London Review of Books , XXXIII.15:
  • the Princess Caroline case [...] established that – absent a measurable ‘public interest’ in publication – she was safe from being photographed while out shopping.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) absenter, from .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (transitive, now, reflexive) Keep away; stay away; go away.
  • *
  • Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more;
  • * 1701-1703 , , "Remarks on Italy"
  • If after due summons any member absents himself, he is to be fined.
  • *
  • This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.
  • (obsolete) Stay away; withdraw.
  • (rare) Leave.
  • Anagrams

    *

    References

    English heteronyms ----

    absentia

    English

    Noun

  • absence
  • Usage notes

    * This sense of the word ; however, perhaps due to reanalysis of Latin in as English in, variants are occasionally found, such as “in his absentia” (meaning “while he was absent”). Such variants may be considered nonstandard.

    See also

    * absentia epileptica

    Anagrams

    * * ----