[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

absence \ab"sence\, n. f., fr. l. absentia. see absent.
   1. a state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from
      companionship; -- opposed to presence.
      1913 webster

            not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
            absence.                              --phil. ii.
                                                  12.
      1913 webster

   2. want; destitution; withdrawal. "in the absence of
      conventional law." --kent.
      1913 webster

   3. inattention to things present; abstraction of mind; as,
      absence of mind. "reflecting on the little absences and
      distractions of mankind." --addison.
      1913 webster

            to conquer that abstraction which is called absence.
                                                  --landor.
      1913 webster
see also:
absent presence 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

absence
     n 1: the state of being absent; "he was surprised by the absence
          of any explanation" ant: presence
     2: failure to be present ant: presence
     3: the time interval during which something or somebody is
        away; "he visited during my absence"
     4: epilepsy characterized by paroxysmal attacks of brief
        clouding of consciousness a possible other abnormalities
        syn: petit mal epilepsy
see also:
presence petit mal epilepsy 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

81 moby thesaurus words for "absence":
   awol, french leave, abscondence, absence without leave,
   absentation, absenteeism, absenting, beggary, cut, day off, dearth,
   default, defect, defectiveness, deficiency, deficit, departure,
   deprivation, destitution, disappearance, drought, emptiness,
   escape, excused absence, exigency, famine, fleeing, furlough,
   holiday, hooky, imperfection, impoverishment, inadequacy,
   incompleteness, insufficiency, lack, leave, leave of absence,
   leaving, miss, necessity, need, negation, negativeness, negativity,
   nihility, nonappearance, nonattendance, nonbeing, nonentity,
   nonexistence, nonoccurrence, nonreality, nonsubsistence, not-being,
   nothingness, nullity, omission, paucity, privation, running away,
   sabbatical leave, scantiness, scarcity, shortage, shortcoming,
   shortfall, sick leave, starvation, truancy, truantism, unactuality,
   unexcused absence, unreality, vacancy, vacation, vacuity, vacuum,
   void, want, wantage

Absence >> A Words
Absence, definition of term: Absence
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