English
absence
Absence comes from Middle English absence, from Old French absence, from Latin absentia, from absēns ‘absent’, from absum (ab ‘away’ + sum ‘to be’).
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsum1‘to be away or absent’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsēns1‘absent’present active participle of absum
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsentia1
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400absence1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500absence1
- Englishearliest quotation 1611absence1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English absence
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Not as in my presence only, but now much…”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsumWiktionary, English absence‘to be away or absent’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsēnsWiktionary, English absence‘absent’present active participle of absum
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabsentiaWiktionary, English absence
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400absenceWiktionary, English absence
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500absenceWiktionary, English absence
- Englishearliest quotation 1611absenceWiktionary, English absence. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Not as in my presence only, but now much…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- ‘to be, become, grow, appear’
be, been, build, physical, bond, bush, bound, contribution, physician, booth, probability, distribute, contributor, favorable, fiat, bun, bouquet, retribution, favourable, attribution, imp, rebuke, bower, beamer, aren, bosque, physic, phylum, phylogeny, approbation, boor, bist, futur, 75 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰúHt ‘to become’
power, possible, bondage, impossibility, impotent, busk, 13 more
through Archaic Latin 𐌄𐌔𐌏𐌌
through Old Latin esum
represent, presentation, 9 more
through Latin sum ‘to be, exist’
future, improve, proud, present, pride, essential, approve, presence, entity, prowess, prude, prow, 14 more
Today it means
noun A state of being away or withdrawn from a place or from companionship
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “absence”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin absum / absence