Etymologically
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presence

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈprez.ᵊns/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English presens,[2] borrowed from Old French presence and directly from Latin praesentia (“a being present, being at hand”),[3][2][4] from praesēns (“present”) (accusative praesentem),[3][2] from prae- (“before”) and -sēns, a present participle of sum (“I am”).[5] It is related to present.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The surrounding space, immediate vicinity: about 1330 in Barnhart, and the fact of being present in 1340.[2] The OED dates the state of being present to before 1340,[6] Etymonline to the mid-14th century.[3]

Semantic evolution

Being face to face with a superior or great personage is from the late 14th century,[3] and the OED's first example of the phrase in the presence of is from 1375.[6] An assembly or company is from about 1400, now obsolete.[6][5] The manner in which Christ is held to be present in the Eucharist is from about 1420.[6] “Carriage, demeanour, aspect”, especially an impressive one, is from the 1570s,[3] or the 16th century in Hoad.[5] A divine or spiritual being felt to be present is from the 1660s.[3] Presence of mind (1660s), a calm and collected state of mind, translates French présence d'esprit, Latin praesentia animi.[3] The quality in recorded sound that makes performers seem present is from 1950,[6] and a nation's political or military influence in another country from 1955.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1330 – surrounding space.[2]
  • 1340 – being present.[2][6]
  • 1375 – in the presence of.[6]
  • c. 1420 – the Real Presence.[6]
  • 1570s – bearing.[3]
  • 1660s – a spirit felt as present, and presence of mind.[3]
  • 1955 – a political or military presence.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The state or fact of being present; existence or occurrence.
  2. Nearness in time or space: in my presence.
  3. The area around a great person, especially a sovereign.
  4. An impressive bearing or appearance; poise.
  5. A spirit or supernatural being felt to be nearby.
  6. A military or political force maintained in a foreign country.

Word family

  • nonpresence
  • presence chamber
  • presence of mind
  • real presence
  • present
  • presentation
  • omnipresence
  • absence
  • essence

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press