absolute

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”

> b. of 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

> c. of 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 • absoluteness noun