Present

Part of speech: noun, verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈpɹɛzənt/

Definitions

1. A gift offered to someone or the current moment in time, which can also refer to formally introducing or displaying something for others to see, or making an offering for evaluation
2. Something given to others or the current time, as well as the act of formally showing or introducing a subject to an audience or proposing it for review
3. An item offered to someone without expecting payment ; the time that is happening now ; to bring something forward for others to see or consider

Etymology: Old English had its own word for this sense, "andweard," meaning "present" or "current," but it was displaced by a French import. That import descends from Latin "praesens," the present participle of "praeesse," built from "prae" ("before") and "esse" ("to be"). Something standing before you is literally in your presence, and the idea of being in front of someone gradually came to mean existing now. The verb reflects a more concrete picture. It comes through Old French from Latin "praesentare," "to show," so to present something was originally to set it before someone to be seen. The gift sense grows from that same act of placing an object in front of another person.

Synonyms: gift, offering, donation, token, reward

Antonyms: absence, giftlessness, nonexistence