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- pronunciation:
- aeb
s
 ns
- features:
- Word Parts
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
the fact or condition of being away or not present.
Work continued during the boss's absence.An old proverb says, "absence makes the heart grow fonder."- antonyms:
- attendance, presence
- similar words:
- leave, truancy
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| definition 2: |
an instance or period of time of being away.
After an absence of two weeks, the neighbors returned from their beach trip.After John's third absence, the teacher called his father.- similar words:
- leave
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| definition 3: |
the state of not having; lack.
I noticed the absence of games and toys in the little girl's room.- synonyms:
- lack
- similar words:
- need, want
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The word absence
contains the following parts:
ab-, abs-
Latin
prefix
that means from, away from
  More about this word part:
Most words containing the prefix ab-
, abs-
are Latin loanwords, so the bases are Latin roots. ab-
becomes abs-
before bases beginning with "t," such as "tract."
Example words:
abbreviate, abbreviation, abdicate, abduct, abnormal, abolish, aborigine, abrasive, abrupt, absence, absent, absolute, absorb, abstain, abstract, abuse
-ance, -ence, -ency, -ancy
Latin
noun-forming suffix
that means state, quality, or act of
More about this word part:
The suffix group -ance
, -ence
, -ency
, -ancy
attaches to verbs and Latin verb stems to create nouns. The suffix -ance
is usually attached to whole English words, whereas -ence
is usually attached to roots: compare eloquence and acceptance
. For most nouns ending in -ance
, -ence
, -ency
, -ancy
, there is a correponsponding adjective form ending in -ant, -ent.
Example words:
absence, acceptance, admittance, agency, arrogance, attendance, audience, buoyancy, conference, confidence, consequence, consistency, currency, deficiency, difference, disappearance, disturbance, emergency, frequency, importance, independence, occurrence, preference, presidency, residence, science, tendency
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