Translation
to be away, be absent; to be distant; to be lacking
Examples
.
The king is away.
passuum .
The town was ten miles distant.
.
I cannot be away for long.
.
Let no offence be taken at these words.
timeam.
So far am I from being afraid.
Absum, abesse, afui, afuturus is a compound of sum and inherits every irregularity it has. Note the perfect: afui, not abfui, because b drops before f.
Three uses beyond the plain "be absent". Of distance it takes a measure in the accusative, oppidum milia passuum decem aberat. Of lacking it is close to desum. And tantum abest ut is a standing rhetorical formula, "so far is it from being the case that". The present subjunctive absit is a fixed expression of recoil - absit iniuria verbis, and the scholastic quod absit, "God forbid" - which is why you meet it far more often than the frequency of the verb would suggest. English absent and absence come from the participle absens.
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absum: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "absum" (to be away, be absent; to be distant; to be lacking): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 12.