absent

The word “absent” means not present in a place where one is expected to be. In plain terms, not there — whether physically missing from a place, or mentally somewhere else.

“Absent” is pronounced AB-snt (/ˈæb.sn̩t/ in IPA).

Here is “absent” used in a sentence: “Three students were absent from class today.”

Depending on how it is used, “absent” can be an adjective and a verb.

The word “absent” comes from Latin. From Old French absent, from Latin absens, the present participle of absum, "to be away from" — built from ab ("away") and sum ("to be").

“Absent” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Absent” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: not present in a place where one is expected to be.

Absent is the adjective — 'she was absent from school' — while absence is the noun naming the state: 'her absence was noticed.' A common mistake is writing 'in his absent'; after 'in his' or 'in her' the noun absence is required.

Absent means not present in a place where someone or something is expected to be, as with a pupil absent from class. Missing suggests that something cannot be found or accounted for, and it often carries worry, as in a missing wallet or a missing person.

As a verb, absent is almost always reflexive: you absent yourself from a place, meaning you deliberately keep away from it, as in 'he absented himself from the meeting.' The verb is stressed on the second syllable (ab-SENT), unlike the adjective (AB-sent).