Absolutes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A set of values or principles that are regarded as unchanging and universally applicable
2. Items or concepts that exist independently of conditions or limitations, often seen as ultimate realities
3. Parameters considered fully defined and without exception, often involved in philosophical or mathematical contexts

Etymology: The plural "absolutes" follows the noun "absolute," which entered English around 1380 in Middle English as "absolut." It came from Middle French and ultimately from Latin "absolūtus," meaning "unconditional," "unfettered," or "completed." That Latin adjective is the past participle of "absolvō," which combined "ab" ("away") with "solvō" ("to loose"). The original picture is one of something loosened from its ties and set free. That sense of being freed from restraint explains how the word moved from "complete" to "unconditional." Something absolute was no longer bound by conditions or limits, so it was whole and not qualified. The plural "absolutes" then names such unqualified principles, the values treated as fixed rather than dependent on circumstance.

Synonyms: certainties, truths, principles, foundations, constants

Antonyms: relatives, variables, ambiguities, uncertainties, possibilities