abscession 
Neither justly excommunicated out of that particular 
church to which he was orderly joyned, nor excommuni- 
cating himself hy voluntary Schisme, declared abscession, 
separation, or apostasie. 
Bp. Gavden, Tears of the Church, p. 37. 
2. In mcd., an abscess. 
abscess-root (ab'ses-rot), n. A popular name 
of the plant I'olemonium reptans. 
abscind (ab-sind'), f. i. [< L. abscindere, cut 
off, tear off, < ab, off, + scindere, cut, = Or. 
ajfV^uv, cut, separate : gee scission and schism.] 
To cut off. [Rare.] 
Two syllables abscinded from the rest. 
Johnson, Rambler, No. 90. 
abscise (ab-siz'), r. t . ; pret. and pp. abscised, 
ppr. abscising. [< L. ubscisus, pp. of abscidere, 
cut off, < abs for ab, off, away, + ccedere, cut. 
Cf. excise, incise, ., and precise, a.] To cut off 
or away. 
abscissa (ab-sis'a), n. ; pi. abscissae or abscissas 
(-e, -az). [L. (tr.'of Gr. cmorla/iflavofitvTi), abbre- 
viation of recta ex diametro abscissa, line cut 
off from the diameter; fern, of abscissas, cut 
off, pp. of abscindere: see abscind.'} In math.: 
(a) In the conic sections, that part of a trans- 
verse axis which lies between its vertex and 
a perpendicular ordinate to it from a given 
point of the conic. Thus (fig. 1), in the parabola PAC, 
AM, the part of the axis AB cut off by the ordinate 
PM, is the abscissa of the point, P. (ft) In the system 
2 
of Cartesian coordinates, a certain line used 
in determining the position of a point in a 
plane. Thus (fig. 2), let two fixed intersecting lines (axes) 
OYand OX be taken, and certain directions on them (as 
from toward X and from O toward Y) be assumed as posi- 
tive. From any point, as P, let a line be drawn parallel 
to OY and cutting OX in M. Then will the two quantities 
OM and MP, with the proper algebraic sign, determine 
the position of the point P. OM, or its value, is called the 
abscissa of the point, and the fixed line X'X is called the 
rt.rw of abscissas. See coordinate, n., 2. 
abscissio infiniti (ab-sish'i-6 in-fi-ni'ti). [L. ; 
lit., a cutting off of an infinite (number) : see 
abscission and infinite.'] In logic, a series of 
arguments which exclude, one after another, 
various assertions which might be made with 
regard to the subject under discussion, thus 
gradually diminishing the number of possible 
assumptions. 
abscission (ab-sizh'on), n. [< L. abscissio(n-), 
< abscindere, cut off: see abscind.] 1. The act 
of cutting off ; severance ; removal. 
Not to he cured without the abscission of a member. 
Jer. Taylor. 
2f. The act of putting an end to ; the act of 
annulling or abolishing. Sir T. Browne. 3. 
Retrenchment. [Rare.] 4. The sudden ter- 
mination of a disease by death. Hooper, 
Med. Diet. 5. In rhet., a figure of speech con- 
sisting in a sudden reticence, as if the words 
already spoken made sufficiently clear what 
the speaker would say if he were to finish 
the sentence: as, "He is a man of so much 
honor and candor, and such generosity but 
I need say no more." 6. In astro!., the cutting 
off or preventing of anything shown by one 
aspect by means of another. Abscission of the 
cornea, in mrg., a specific cutting operation performed 
upon the eye for the removal of a staphyloma of the cor- 
nea. 
absconce (ab-skons'), n. [<ML. absconsa, a 
dark lantern, fern, of L. absconsus, for abscondi- 
tus, pp. of abscondere, hide : see abscond and 
mxMM)A.] Eccles., a dark lantern holding a wax- 
light, used in the choir in reading the absolu- 
tion and benediction at matins, and the chap- 
ters and prayers at lauds. 
abscond (ab-skond'), v. [< L. abscondere, hide, 
put away, < abs, away, + condere, put, lay up, 
< con-, for cum, together, + -dere, in comp., a 
weakened form of "dare, put, = E. do.] I. 
intrans. 1 . To retire from public view, or from 
the place in which one resides or is ordinarily 
to be found ; depart in a sudden and secret 
manner ; take one's self off ; decamp ; espe- 
cially, to go out of the way in order to avoid a 
legal process. 
He must, for reasons which nobody could divine, have 
absconded. Barham, Ingoldsby Legends, I. 150. 
20 
2. To hide, withdraw, or lie concealed: as, 
"the marmot absconds in winter," Say, Works 
of Creation. 
A fish that flushes his freckled side in the sun and as 
suddenly absconds in the dark and dreamy waters again. 
l.if'-U, Study Windows, p. 377. 
= Syn. Escape, retreat, flee, run away, make off. 
Il.t trans. To conceal. 
Nothing discoverable in the lunar surface is ever cov- 
ered and absconded from us by the interposition of any 
clouds or mists but such as rise from our own globe. 
lii'iitln/. Sermons, viii. 
abscondedt (ab-skon'ded), p. a. Hidden ; se- 
cret : recondite. In l,er., said of a bearing which is 
completely covered by a superimposed charge. Thus, if a 
shield has three mullets in pale, the middle one of the 
three would he completely hidden or abwm/f</ by a shield 
of pretense or inescutcheon. 
I am now obliged to go far in the pursuit of beauty 
which lies very absconded and deep. 
Shaftesbury, Moralists, p. 3. 
abscondedlyt (ab-skon'ded-li), adv. In con- 
cealment or hiding. 
An old Roman priest that then lived abscondedly in 
Oxon. Wood, Athena; Oxon., I. 631. 
abscondencet (ab-skon'dens), n. Concealment ; 
seclusion. 
absconder (ab-skon'der), . One who ab- 
sconds. 
absconsio (ab-skon'shi-6), n. ; pi. absconsiones 
(ab-skon-shi-6'nez). [NL., < L. abscondere, 
hide: see abscond.] In anat. and sura., a cav- 
ity or sinus. 
absence (ab'sens), n. [< ME. absence, < OF. ab- 
sence, ausence. F. absence = Sp. Pg. ausencta = 
It. assenza, < L. absentia, absence, < absen (t-)s, 
absent: see absent, a.] 1. The state of being 
absent ; the state of being away or not present : 
as, speak no ill of one in his absence. 
Say, is not absence death to those who love ? 
Pope, Autumn. 
We see on the lip of our companion the presence or 
absence of the great masters of thought and poetry to his 
mind. Emerson, Domestic Life. 
2. The period of being away or absent : as, an 
absence of several weeks or years. 3. The 
state of being wanting ; non-existence at the 
place and time spoken of; want; lack: as, 
the absence of evidence. 
In the absence of conventional law. Chancellor Kent. 
4. Absent-mindedness ; inattention to things 
present : a shortened form of absence of mind. 
To conquer that abstraction which is called absence. 
Landor. 
For two or three days I continued subject to frequent 
involuntary fits of absence, which made me insensible, for 
the time, to all that was passing around me. 
B. Taylor, Lands of the Saracen, p. 147. 
Absence Of mind, habitual or temporary forgetfulness 
of, or inattention to, one's immediate surroundings. 
Decree in absence, in Scot* law, a decree pronounced 
against a defendant who has not appeared and pleaded on 
the merits of the cause. Leave Of absence, permission 
from a superior to be absent. In the I'nited States army 
an officer is entitled to 30 days' leave in each year on full 
pay. He may permit this time to accumulate for a period 
not exceeding four years. Wtthelm, Mil. Diet. 
absent (ab'sent), a. and n. [< ME. absent, < 
OF. absent, diluent, F. absent = Sp. Pg. ausente 
= It. assente, <L. absen(t-)s, being away (ppr. 
of abesse, be away), < ab, away, + *sen(t-)s, 
ppr. (= Gr. uv (UVT-), = Skt. sant, being, = E. 
moth, true : see sooth), < inf. ease, be : see es- 
sence, am, is, and at. present.] I. a. 1. Not in a 
certain place at a given time ; not in conscious- 
ness or thought at a certain time ; away : op- 
posed to present. 
With this she fell distract, 
And, her attendants absent, swallow'd fire. 
Skalc., J. C., iv. 3. 
The picture or visual image in your mind when the 
orange is present to the senses is almost exactly repro- 
duced when it is absent. J. Finite, Idea of God, p. 140. 
2. Not existing ; wanting ; not forming a part 
or attribute of: as, among them refinement 
is absent ; revenge is entirely absent from his 
mind. 3. Absent-minded (which see). 
From this passage we may gather not only that Chaucer 
was . . . small of stature and slender, but that he was ac- 
customed to be twitted on account of the abstracted or 
abtent look which so often tempts children of the world to 
offer its wearer a penny for his thoughts. 
A. W. Ward, Life of Chaucer, iii. 
Absent with leave (milit.), said of officers permitted to 
absent themselve's from their posts, and of enlisted men 
on furlough. Absent without leave (milit.), said of 
officers and soldiers (sometimes of deserters) who have 
absented themselves from their posts without permission ; 
they are so reported in order to bring their offense under 
the cognizance of a court martial. In the United States 
army, an officer absent without leave for three months 
may be dropped from the rolls of the army by the Presi- 
dent, and is not eligible to reappointment. Wilhelm, Mil. 
Diet. = Syn. 3. Absent., rnattentive, Abstracted, Preoccu- 
pied, Diverted, Distracted. An absent man is one whose 
mind wanders unconsciously from his immediate sur- 
absinthe 
^ui^u. 
these cases he is or becomes intittriitiri'. />i*trarted(Ut 
erally, dragged apart) is .sometimes ust-d for tlircrtcd, bu 
ilrnutrs more properly a state of perplexity or mental un 
caxincss! sometimes approaching frenzy. 
Il.t n. One who is not present ; an absentee. 
f>et us enjoy the right of Christian absents, to pray for 
one another. Bp. Mm-ton, To Abp. Usher. 
absent (ab-senf), v. t. [< F. absenter = Sp. Pg. 
/ii/xi iitar = It. assentare, < L. absentare, cause 
to be away, be away, < absen(t-)a, absent: see 
absent, a.] To make absent ; take or keep away: 
now used only reflexively, but formerly some- 
times otherwise, as by Milton: as, to absent 
one's self from home ; he absented himself from 
the meeting. 
If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, 
Absent thee from felicity awhile. 
Shak., Hamlet, v. 2. 
What change 
Absents thee, or what chance detains? 
Milton, P. L., x. 108. 
absentaneoust (ab-sen-ta'ne-us), a. [< ML. ab- 
sentaneiin, < L. absen(t-)s, absent : see absent, a.] 
Relating to absence ; absent. Bailey. 
absentation (ab-sen-ta'shon), n. [< ML. absen- 
tatio(n-), < L. absentare, make absent : see ab- 
sent, v.] The act of absenting one's self, or 
the state of being absent. [Rare.] 
His absentation at that juncture becomes significant. 
Sir W. Hamilton, Discussions, p. 229. 
absentee (ab-sen-te'), n. 1. One who is ab- 
sent ; more narrowly, one who withdraws from 
his country, office, estate, post, duty, or the like. 
Specifically applied, generally hy way of reproach, to 
landlords and capitalists who derive their income from 
one country, but spend it in another in which they reside. 
2. In Jaw, one who is without the jurisdiction 
of a particular court or judge. 
absenteeism (ab-sen-te'izm), n. The practice 
or habit of being an absentee ; the practice of 
absenting one's self from one's country, station, 
estate, etc. Absenteeism in France, under the old re- 
gime, was one of the greatest evils, and a prominent cause 
of the first revolution ; and in Ireland it lias been a cause 
of much popular discontent. 
Partly from the prevailing absenteeism among the land- 
lords, . . . these peasants of the north [of Russia] are 
more energetic, more intelligent, more independent, and 
consequently less docile and pliable, than those of the 
fertile central provinces. D. M. Wallace, Russia, p. 109. 
absenteeship (ab-sen-te'ship), . Same as ab- 
senteeism. 
absenter (ab-sen'ter), n. One who absents him- 
self. 
He [Judge Foster] has fined all the absenters 20 apiece. 
Lord Thurlow, Sir M. Foster. 
absente reo (ab-sen'te re'6). [L. : absente, 
abl. of absen(t-)s, absent; reo, abl. of reus, a 
defendant, < res, an action : see res.] The de- 
fendant being absent : a law phrase. 
absently (ab'sent-li), adv. In an absent or in- 
attentive manner ; with absence of mind. 
absentment (ab-sent'ment), n. [< absent, v., 
+ -ment.] The act of absenting one's self, or 
the state of being absent. Harrow. [Rare.] 
absent-minded (ab'sent-min^ded), a. Charac- 
terized by absence of mind (see absence) ; inat- 
tentive to or forgetful of one's immediate sur- 
roundings. 
absent-mindedness (ab'sent-min' < 'ded-nes), n. 
The quality, state, or habit of being absent- 
minded. 
absentness (ab'sent-nes), n. The quality of 
being absent, inattentive, or absent-minded ; 
absent-mindedness. 
absey-bookt (ab'se-buk), n. [That is, a-b~c 
book : see a-b-c.] A primer, which sometimes 
included a catechism. 
And then comes answer like an Absejj-book. 
Shak., K. John, i. 1. 
absidiole (ab-sid'i-61), n. Same as apsidiole. 
absinth (ab'sinth), n. [< F. absinthe, < L. absin- 
thium : see absinthium] 1. Wormwood. See 
absinthium. 2. Absinthe (which see). 
absinthate (ab-sin'that), n. A salt formed by 
a combination of absinthic acid with a base. 
absinthe (ab'sinth; F. pron. ab-sant'), n. [F., 
<L. absinthium: see absinthium.] The com- 
mon name of a highly aromatic liqueur of an 
opaline-green color and bitter taste ; an abbre- 
viation of extrait d'absinthe, extract of absin- 
thium. It is prepared by steeping in alcohol or strong 
spirit hitter herbs, the chief of which are Artemisia Ab- 
sintliiuni. A. miiti'llina, A. spicata ; besides which some 
recipes mention plants that are not of this genus, and 
