a-, ab-, abs-

1. Someone who is expected to be in a place or at an event, but who doesn't go: Virginia was the only absentee when the roll was called.
2. People who are not attending their employment, school, duty, etc.: The number of absentees at the factory was of concern to the managers.

The student leadership was upset about the number of absentees at the rally the day before.

The habitual failure to appear or to be somewhere, especially for work or some other regular duty: The most common causes of absenteeisms include influenza and occupationally related skin diseases.

The rates of absenteeism in the work force caused the factory to reduce production.

The explanations for a number of absenteeisms varied from headaches to injuries.

Anyone who is not present or who is not in a certain place at a given time; unaccounted for; nonexistent person: Shawn was an absenter who missed more classes than he attended.

As a joke, the student club at the university decided to give an award to the most outstanding absenter, the one who missed most of his or her classes!

At the awards ceremony, there was a tie with two absenters because they were not present for the same number of times.

1. Regarding a person who is preoccupied, forgetful, or careless as a result of some kind of distraction: It took the absent-minded man a long time to find his glasses which were on top of his head.
2. Descriptive of an individual who is lost in thought or shows a preoccupation with something else: The absentminded writer couldn't remember where he put his notes for the new chapter of his book.

Pertaining to how, in a preoccupied manner, the object of focus is diverted by irrelevant thoughts or some environmental events: Today Alice absentmindedly put orange juice into her breakfast coffee.

Jesse, the scientist, appeared to be puttering around in his garden absentmindedly, but he was really distracted because he was thinking about a new scientific formula.

1. A low level of attention or an intense attention to a single object of focus that makes a person unaware of what is going on around him or her: Absentmindedness is clearly a part of everyone's life when something is merely inconvenient, such as missing a familiar turnoff on the highway, or some are very serious as when absentmindedness can cause accidents, injury, or even a loss of life.

Jeff's absentmindedness caused him to be late because he took the wrong public transportation to work.

2. A preoccupation with something that is so great that the ordinary demands of attention on something else are ignored: Cheryl was so lost in her absentmindedness that she was unaware of where she was or what she was supposed to be doing there.

1. Perfect and complete in quality or nature: Glenn described his lady friend as an example of absolute perfection.
2. Not limited by restrictions or exceptions; unconditional, total trust: Earl told Diane that she had his absolute confidence.
3. Unqualified in extent or degree; total: Marie could hear a pin drop in the absolute silence of the room.
4. Unconstrained by constitutional, a counterbalancing group, or other provisions, etc. in the exercise of governmental power, especially when arbitrary or despotic: James was an absolute ruler in his position as the absolute monarch.
5. Regarding something which is not to be doubted or questioned; positive, certain: The police have absolute proof of Philip's guilt.
6. Relating to units of measurement derived from fundamental units of length, mass, and time: The laboratory was supplied with the necessary equipment to determine the absolute temperature of the liquids.
7. Pertaining to the scale of a grading system based on an individual's performance considered as representing his or her knowledge of a given subject regardless of the performance of others in a group: Jessica's absolute performance during the year qualifies her for the special graduation honors.
8. Etymology: from Latin absolutus and absolvere, "to set free, to make separate".

Logically, absolute terms cannot be compared, as with "more" and "most", or used with an "intensive modifier", such as "very" or "so" because something either is complete or it is not. It cannot be "more complete" than something else, consequently sentences, such as "Mike wanted to make his record collection more complete", and "Joyce can improve the sketch by making the lines more perpendicular", are often criticized as being illogical.

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Blindness that results from the increased pressure in the eyes and damage to the optic nerves: Although the composer was diagnosed with absolute glaucoma, she was determined it would not end her career.

Craig was afflicted with absolute glaucoma during the final years of his life.

The potential difference necessary to produce a current of one ampere through an electric circuit with a resistance of one ohm (unit of electrical resistance): Because the production of absolute current and voltage must equal mechanical power, experiments that realize the absolute volt involve mechanical effects and are inherently difficult, usually requiring many years to complete.

Totally, definitely, beyond doubt, and without question: Iron is absolutely necessary for the production of many products.

Susan asked, "Eugene, are you absolutely sure that we are on the right road and that we are not absolutely lost?"

Victor and Martin are absolutely opposed to the idea of making any additional changes.

1. Forgiveness of sin, guilt, or blame; a declaration that frees a person from guilt or punishment for sin: The priest gave absolution to church members which always made the parishioners feel a great deal better.
2. Release from a duty or promise; a discharge: The soldier obtained absolution from the charges made by a fellow soldier.

1. To officially state that someone is free of any blame or responsibility in a particular matter: Mr. Johnson, the lawyer, could not get the court to absolve his client of responsibility for the accident.

Because new evidence had been discovered, Rick, the defendant, was absolved of the criminal charge.

2. To forgive someone, especially for a religious or moral fault: Mary asked the priest to please absolve her of her sins.
3. To relieve a person of some kind of requirement or obligation: The court absolved Ernest of the responsibility of any further repayments of the loan.

At the board meeting that day, they agreed that they would be absolving the company of any charges of misdeeds.

Bert was absolved of having to pay his partner's debts.

4. Etymology: from Latin ab-, "from" + solvere, "to loosen". © ALL rights are reserved.

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Someone who has authority to pronounce a person clear of guilt or blame: The priest was an absolver of the sins of Phillip who had strived to overcome his moral indiscretions and petty misdeeds.

1. To swallow up, to include, or to take a thing into the loss of its separate existence; to incorporate: In one gulp, the whale seemed to absorb all the krill.

The company absorbed the two smaller companies creating one large conglomerate.

2. To engross, or to completely engage the attention or faculties: The students were completely absorbed by the magic of the teacher's story telling.
3. To take up or to receive imponderable agents by chemical or molecular action: Not long after Howard swallows his vitamins, they will be absorbed into his blood stream.
4. To assume the burden of costs, expenses, etc.: The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, will personally absorb the small financial loss in order to continue to keep their company solvent.
5. To take in a shock, jolt, etc. with little or no recoil or reaction: The soft surface seemed to absorb the impact of the hammer.
6. To soak up and not to reflect: Carlos, the builder, told them that the light rays were absorbed by black surfaces and he also said that cork ceilings absorbed sound.
7. Etymology: from Latin absorbere, "to swallow up"; from ab-, "from" + sorbere, "to suck in".

1. The state or quality of being able to be wholly interested in something or able to give full attention to something or to someone: The absorbability of so much information made Doug very qualified to complete the project.
2. The full involvement in doing something that a person wants to achieve: Shirley's absorbabilities while studying at the university resulted in a doctor's degree that was attained in less time than was normally required.