disappearance English · revision 39914

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1625, W. Lisle}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * UK: /dɪsəˈpɪəɹəns/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed from [[disappear]] and [[-ance]], on the model of [[appearance]].^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(Dictionary.com 2016) The verb is from [[dis-]] and [[appear]], after Anglo-Norman [[m|xno|desaparer]] (13th century).^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The act or fact of disappearing, of vanishing from sight: the OED's first example is from William Lisle's translation of Du Bartas, 1625.^(OED 2026) Etymonline dates the noun to 1712, and Dictionary.com to 1705–15.^(Etymonline)^(Dictionary.com 2016)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word kept its general sense, "a ceasing to be seen or to exist".^(Etymonline)^(OED 2026) Merriam-Webster also records it for the running down of national or world stocks of a commodity such as cotton or wheat.^(MWU 2024) From 1971 it was used of the abduction or arrest of a person, often for political reasons, who is then imprisoned or killed in secret,^(OED 2026) a use that goes with the verb ''disappear'' in the same sense, which arose chiefly after American Spanish [[m|es|desaparecido]].^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1625 – the act of vanishing.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1712 – Etymonline's date.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1971 – the secret abduction or killing of a person.^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The act or fact of [[vanish|alt=vanishing]] or ceasing to be seen: ''the disappearance of the sun behind the hills''.^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+ # The fact of a person going missing: ''Police are investigating the man's disappearance.''^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)

+ # The ceasing to exist of something: ''the disappearance of the old trades''.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)

+ # The [[abduction]] or arrest of a person, especially for political reasons, whose fate is then kept secret.^(OED 2026)

+ # (economics) The using up or reduction of stocks of a commodity.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[vanish]]

+ * [[evanescence]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}