Where does “absent referent” come from?

absent referent (English) comes from English absent, from Middle English absent, from Middle French absent, from Old French ausent, from Latin absēns, from Latin absum, from Latin ab-, from Latin āb.

absent referent (English): The condition of a sign which has an empty,...

Definitions

  1. The condition of a sign which has an empty,...

Ancestry of “absent referent”, step by step

absent referent traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English absent

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishabsentBeing away from a place; withdrawn from a place;...
2Middle Englishabsent
3Middle Frenchabsent
4Old Frenchausent
5Latinabsēnsabsent, missing, away, away from, distant, gone, gone away
6LatinabsumI am away, I am absent, I am distant
7Latinab-from, away, away from; off; at a distance
8Latinābfrom, away from, out of
9Proto-Germanic*ab
10Proto-Indo-Europeanapó

via English referent

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishreferentThe specific entity in the world that a word or...
2EnglishreferTo direct the attention of; To submit to for...
3Middle Englishreferren
4Old Frenchrefererto tell; to talk about; to speak of
5Latinreferrepresent active infinitive of referō; to refer
6Latinferrepresent active infinitive of ferō; bring; carry
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰēr-shiny, light brown
Every word from Proto-Indo-European apóEvery word from Proto-Germanic *abEvery word from Latin āb