<adj.all> the thumb is absent her appetite was lacking
lost in thought; showing preoccupation
<adj.all> an absent stare an absentminded professor the scatty glancing quality of a hyperactive but unfocused intelligence
Absent \Ab*sent"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Absented}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Absenting}.] [Cf. F. absenter.] 1. To take or withdraw (one's self) to such a distance as to prevent intercourse; -- used with the reflexive pronoun.
If after due summons any member absents himself, he is to be fined. --Addison.
2. To withhold from being present. [Obs.] ``Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more.'' --Milton.
Absent \Ab"sent\, a. [F., fr. absens, absentis, p. pr. of abesse to be away from; ab + esse to be. Cf. {Sooth}.] 1. Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present. ``Expecting absent friends.'' --Shak.
2. Not existing; lacking; as, the part was rudimental or absent.
3. Inattentive to what is passing; absent-minded; preoccupied; as, an absent air.
What is commonly called an absent man is commonly either a very weak or a very affected man. --Chesterfield.
Syn: {Absent}, {Abstracted}.
Usage: These words both imply a lack of attention to surrounding objects. We speak of a man as absent when his thoughts wander unconsciously from present scenes or topics of discourse; we speak of him as abstracted when his mind (usually for a brief period) is drawn off from present things by some weighty matter for reflection. Absence of mind is usually the result of loose habits of thought; abstraction commonly arises either from engrossing interests and cares, or from unfortunate habits of association.
This contrasts with 1991 when prices shot up but volume was absent. 'We have noticed the buzz,' says John Houlihan, of the small companies team at Hoare Govett.
Mailer, who attended Abbott's criminal trial, was absent from the latest one.
Manila's Cardinal Jaime Sin, who normally presides at religious events attended by the president, was absent from Saturday's ceremony.
Each time a special occasion brought the family together, Mrs. Xiong would set a place at the dinner table for her absent son.
Trading was slow on the New York Mercantile Exchange with many market participants still absent after the mid-week holiday break. Markets and many businesses were closed Wednesday for Independence Day.
A less enthusiastic ovation followed his brief tribute to the absent Botha.
Meanwhile, Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder is endorsing concepts long absent from Democratic brains: chastity and fidelity.
The Soviet Union's dynamic leader, President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, has retreated into an unusual silence and been absent from public view after making a brief trip to Armenia.
Japanese commercial traders, who recently had been absent from the platinum market, began buying futures early in the session, which encouraged others to enter the market.
Fourteen legislators were absent or did not vote.
This is a result of a number of factors, including the increase of single-parent households and problems in collecting child-support from the absent parent, said Ann Kittlaus of the Food Research and Action Council, a private, anti-poverty group.
The state began taking corrective action in 1979, when the legislature adopted a requirement that child-support payments be withheld from the absent parent's paycheck after a 30-day delinquency.
Wheat settled slightly lower but the corn and oat markets were nearly unchanged in extremely quiet trading with many traders absent because of the sub-zero weather in Chicago or the upcoming holiday weekend.
Labour's refusal to 'pair' with Tory MPs, the process whereby MPs of opposing parties agree to be absent during a vote, is forcing MPs to be on hand for virtually every Commons vote -a stricture to which most are unaccustomed.
Sainsbury was a victim of John Major's government reshuffle - and thus absent from the presentation.
Mr. Weyrich, despite his misgivings about the Reagan years, is heartened by signs that the grass-roots conservative network, absent so far, finally might begin taking shape.
Foreign investors, who had been steady buyers during the past few weeks, were absent.
Two New Democracy deputies were among those absent for Monday's vote.
Normally, only 15 to 20 children are absent from the 417-member student body.
The radical militancy of the 1980 worker-student protest movement that ended in a military coup is largely absent this time.
The supervisors voted 9-0, with two absent, to support the "domestic partners" law allowing unmarried couples to register their relationships publicly for a $35 fee.
There's peer pressure, too: Nucor employees work in teams, and if one person is absent or refuses to work for any reason, the entire group can be penalized.
And leaving a message puts the burden on the absent person.
The document notifies Roberson that he was absent without official leave.
Benedict said the remaining number of workers absent was normal for that shift.
Sting, who took part in earlier shows, was absent in Tokyo because of conflicting schedules, organizers said.
The real wild card is Treasury's blithe demand for triple-A bond ratings for GSEs, absent "agency status."
Radical policies, centred around the notion of giving the poor a hand-up rather than a hand-out, must be pursued. There will always be clumsy starts, as with Britain's Child Support Agency, which pursues absent fathers for maintenance payments.
High-earning absent parents can still be taken to court for maintenance above the agency's maximum assessment, to cope with expenses such as school fees. The child maintenance formula automatically includes an amount of money for the carer.
Democratic senators, who dominated the hearing more than usual because most Republicans were absent, were openly skeptical.