(v. n.P. a.) : ab-sum, āfui (better than abfui), āfŭtārus (aforem, afore), v. n., in its most general signif.
* To be away from, be absent.
* In gen.
* Absol. without designating the distance (opp. adsum): num ab domo absum?Plaut. Ep. 5, 2, 16: me absente atque insciente,id. Trin. 1, 2, 130: domini ubi absunt,are not at home, not present,Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 53: facile aerumnam ferre possum, si inde abest injuria, Caecil. ap. Non. 430, 18.
* Hence
* To be away from any thing unpleasant, to be freed or free from: a multis et magnis molestiis abes,Cic. Fam. 4, 3: a culpa,id. Rosc. Am. 20: a reprehensione temeritatis, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 23.
* Abesse alicui or ab aliquo, to be wanting to any one, to be of no assistance or service to (opp. adsum): ut mirari Torquatus desinat, me, qui Antonio afuerim, Sullam defendere,Cic. Sull. 5: facile etiam absentibus nobis (without our aid) veritas se ipsa defendet, id. Ac. 2, 11, 36: longe iis fraternum nomen populi Romani afuturum,Caes. B. G. 1, 36. So also Cic. Planc. 5, 13: et quo plus intererat, eo plus aberas a me, the more I needed your assistance, the more you neglected me, v. Wunder ad h. l.; cf. also Sall. C. 20 fin.
* Cicero uses abesse to designate his banishment from Rome (which he would never acknowledge as such): qui nullā lege abessem,Cic. Sest. 34, 37; cf.: discessus. —Hence, absens, entis (gen. plur. regul. absentium; absentum,Plaut. Stich. 1, 1, 5), P. a., absent (opp. praesens).
* Not to be suitable, proper, or fit for a thing: quae absunt ab forensi contentione,Cic. Or. 11, 37: ab principis personā,Nep. Ep. 1, 2.
* To be wanting, = desum, Pac. ap. Cic. Fin. 5, 11, 31 (Trag. Rel. p. 122 Rib.): unum a praeturā tuā abest,one thing is wanting to your praetorship,Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 25: quaeris id quod habes; quod abest non quaeris,Ter. Heaut. 5, 4, 16; cf. Lucr. 3, 970 and 1095.—After Cicero, constr. in this signif. with dat.: quid huic abesse poterit de maximarum rerum scientiā?Cic. de Or. 1, 11, 48: abest enim historia litteris nostris,history is yet wanting to our literature,id. Leg. 2, 5.—So esp. in the poets: donec virenti canities abest morosa,Hor. C. 1, 9, 17; 3, 24, 64; Ov. M. 14, 371.—Hence the phrase non multum (neque multum), paulum, non (haud) procul, minimum, nihil abest, quin. not much, little, nothing is wanting that (Zumpt, Gr. § 540); but not parum, since parum in good classical authors does not correspond in meaning with non multum, but with non satis (v. parum): neque multum abesse ab eo, quin, etc.,Caes. B. G. 5, 2, 2; and absol.: neque multum afuit quin,id. B. C. 2, 35, 4: paulumque afuit quin, ib. § 2: legatos nostros haud procul afuit quin violarent,Liv. 5, 4 fin.: minimum afuit quin periret,was within a little of,Suet. Aug. 14: nihil afore credunt quin,Verg. A. 8, 147 al.
* In gen.: vos et praesentem me curā levatis et absenti magna solatia dedistis,Cic. Brut. 3, 11; so id. Off. 3, 33, 121; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 17: quocirca (amici) et absentes adsunt et egentes abundant,id. Lael. 7, 23: ut loquerer tecum absens, cum coram id non licet,id. Att. 7, 15: me absente,id. Dom. 3; id. Cael. 50: illo absente,id. Tull. 17; Cic. Verr. 2, 60: absente accusatore,id. ib. 2, 99 al.—Sup.: mente absentissimus,Aug. Conf. 4, 4.—Of things (not thus in Cic.): Romae rus optas, absentem rusticus urbem tollis ad astra,Hor. S. 2, 7, 28; so, Rhodus,id. Ep. 1, 11, 21: rogus,Mart. 9, 77, 8: venti,Stat. Th. 5, 87: imagines rerum absentium,Quint. 6, 2, 29: versus,Gell. 20, 10.
* In partic.
* In conversat. lang.
* Praesens absens, in one's presence or absence: postulo ut mihi tua domus te praesente absente pateat,Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 29.
* In polit. lang., not appearing in public canvassings as a competitor: deligere (Scipio) iterum consul absens,Cic. Rep. 6, 11; so Liv. 4, 42, 1; 10, 22, 9.
* = mortuus, deceased, Plaut. Cas. prol. 20; Vitr. 7, praef. § 8.
* Ellipt.: absens in Lucanis, absent in Lucania, i. e. absent and in Lucania, Nep. Hann. 5, 3; so id. Att. 8, 6.

s. TLL