Absolute

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈæb.sə.luːt/

Definitions

1. Complete and total, without any limitation or condition
2. Total and unconditional, free from any restrictions or exceptions
3. Entirely certain and definitive, lacking any ambiguity or doubt

Etymology: The idea of "absolute" begins with release. Its Latin ancestor, "absolutus," was the past participle of "absolvere," meaning "to loosen, set free, complete." The verb was built from "ab," "away," and "solvere," "to loose," so the word's first sense was something unbound, freed from restraint. That same verb gave English "absolve," which still carries the sense of being released from blame or obligation. From that notion of being unfettered came the sense of being unconditional, and then of being complete. A thing set free from every qualification is whole and unqualified, which is how "absolute" came to mean "complete and total." English first recorded the word around 1380, borrowed through Middle English "absolut" from Middle French, with some later influence from Old French "absolu."

Synonyms: complete, total, unconditional, utter, unqualified

Antonyms: relative, conditional, partial, limited, qualified