absentee

Etymology

It is formed from English absent + -ee,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} originally after Anglo-Norman abscenté (“person holding property in Ireland but living in England without licence”), recorded perhaps from 1392–3, the past participle of absenter (“to be absent”) used as a noun.^[2] The Merriam-Webster Unabridged treats the English word as a borrowing of the Anglo-French noun.^[7] The Anglo-Norman verb is recorded from about 1292, and its past participle was already used as a noun meaning an absentee.^[8] The verb absent is from Old French absenter, from Late Latin absentō (“to cause to be away”),^[3][6] from Latin absēns, the present participle of absum (“to be away”), from ab (“off, away”) and sum (“to be”).^[3] The suffix -ee, from Anglo-Norman -é, was first used in legal terms.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A landowner who lives away from his estate: the first record is the Irish Parliament's act of 1537 against absentees, which aimed at the revenues of landlords who held land in Ireland but lived elsewhere.^[2][6] The word could also be used of a clergyman habitually absent from his parish.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Wilton calls it a case of semantic generalization: a word first used of English owners of Irish land who seldom or never saw their estates came to mean anyone not present where they should be.^[6] Johnson (1755) still noted that it was commonly used of Irishmen living out of their country, though he defined it generally as one absent from his station, employment or country.^[9] The general sense is recorded from 1735, in Swift.^[2] In the United States it was used from 1777 of loyalists who had fled their homes during the Revolution,^[2] and in Australia from 1803 as a euphemism for an escaped convict;^[2][10] Mudie complained in 1837 of runaway convicts being advertised under this gentle name,^[10][11] and in South Africa it was still a word for a convict in 1963.^[11] The adjective follows in 1772.^[2] The voting senses appear in the mid-19th century, the adjective in 1858 and the noun for a voter in 1864;^[2] Etymonline dates the voting use to 1892, in American English.^[3] An absentee parent, one who takes little part in raising the children, is recorded from 1860.^[2]

Timeline

• 1537 – a landowner living away from his estate, in an act of the Irish Parliament.^[2][6] Etymonline dates the word to the 1530s.^[3]
• 1735 – a person who is absent, especially from where he or she is expected, in Swift.^[2]
• 1772 – adjective, absent from one's country, home, property or work.^[2]
• 1777 – in the United States, a loyalist who fled during the American Revolution.^[2]
• 1803 – in Australia, an escaped convict.^[2][10]
• 1858 – adjective, of voting by post or proxy.^[2]
• 1860 – adjective, of a parent who is often away from home.^[2]
• 1864 – a voter who votes by post or proxy while away.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A person who is not present where he or she is expected or usually found, as at school or work: Half the class were absentees on the day of the storm.^[7][12][2]
2. An owner who lives away from his or her property, especially a landlord.^[7][2][9]
3. A voter who casts a vote by post or proxy while away.^[2][4]
4. (law) A person who lives out of the state, or has left it, without leaving a representative there.^[13]
5. (historical, Australia) An escaped convict.^[2][10]

Adjective

1. Absent from one's home, property or place of work: an absentee owner.^[2][12][13]
2. Of a vote or ballot, cast by post or proxy by a voter who is away.^[2][13]
3. Of a parent, often or permanently away from home and taking little part in bringing up the children.^[2]

Word family

• absentee ballot
• absentee vote

Related words

• absenteeism
• absent
• absence

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e f Wilton, Dave, Wordorigins.org, wordorigins.org, p. "absentee", 19 May 2021
7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
9. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
10. ^ a b c d Morris, Edward E. (1898), Austral English: A Dictionary of Australasian Words, Phrases and Usages, London: Macmillan
11. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
12. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
13. ^ a b c Garner, Bryan A., ed. (2004), Black's Law Dictionary, 8th ed., St. Paul, Minn.: Thomson West