Main Entry:

ab·so·lute

Pronunciation:

\ˈab-sə-ˌlüt, ˌab-sə-ˈ\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Middle English absolut, from Anglo-French, from Latin absolutus, from past participle of absolvere to set free, absolve

Date:

14th century

1 a: free from imperfection : perfect <it is a most absolute and excellent horse — Shakespeare> b: free or relatively free from mixture : pure <absolute alcohol> c: outright, unmitigated <an absolute lie>2: being, governed by, or characteristic of a ruler or authority completely free from constitutional or other restraint <absolute power>3 a: standing apart from a normal or usual syntactical relation with other words or sentence elements <the absolute construction this being the case in the sentence “this being the case, let us go”> bof an adjective or possessive pronoun : standing alone without a modified substantive <blind in “help the blind” and ours in “your work and ours” are absolute> cof a verb : having no object in the particular construction under consideration though normally transitive <kill in “if looks could kill” is an absolute verb>4: having no restriction, exception, or qualification <an absolute requirement> <absolute freedom>5: positive, unquestionable <absolute proof>6 a: independent of arbitrary standards of measurement b: relating to or derived in the simplest manner from the fundamental units of length, mass, and time <absolute electric units> c: relating to, measured on, or being a temperature scale based on absolute zero <absolute temperature> ; specifically : kelvin <10° absolute>7: fundamental, ultimate <absolute knowledge>8: perfectly embodying the nature of a thing <absolute justice>9: being self-sufficient and free of external references or relationships <an absolute term in logic> <absolute music>10: being the true distance from an aircraft to the earth's surface <absolute altitude>

— absolute noun

— ab·so·lute·ness noun