Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “absent” come from?

absent (Middle English) comes from Middle French absent, from Old French ausent, from Latin absēns, from Latin absum, from Latin ab-, from Latin āb, from Proto-Germanic *ab, from Proto-Indo-European apó.

Ancestry of “absent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchabsent—
2Old Frenchausent—
3Latinabsēns—
4LatinabsumI am away, I am absent, I am distant
5Latinab-from, away, away from; off; at a distance
6Latināb—
7Proto-Germanic*ab—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanapó—

Words derived from “absent”

  • absent
  • absently
  • absentee
  • absenteeism
  • absentness
  • absenter
  • absenteeship
  • absenteth
  • absentest
  • absentment
  • absent-minded
  • absenteeist
  • absent-mindedly
  • absent referent
  • absent-mindedness
  • absen
  • mengabsen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European apó →