absence Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the state of being absent
    • he was surprised by the absence of any explanation
  2. noun failure to be present
  3. noun the time interval during which something or somebody is away
    • he visited during my absence
  4. noun the occurrence of an abrupt, transient loss or impairment of consciousness (which is not subsequently remembered), sometimes with light twitching, fluttering eyelids, etc.; common in petit mal epilepsy
    absence seizure.

WordNet

Ab"sence noun
Etymology
F., fr. L. absentia. See Absent.
Definitions
  1. A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship; -- opposed to presence.
    Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. Phil. ii. 12.
  2. Want; destitution; withdrawal. "In the absence of conventional law." Kent.
  3. Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind); as, absence of mind. "Reflecting on the little absences and distractions of mankind." Addison.
    To conquer that abstraction which is called absence. Landor.

Webster 1913