Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The state or fact of being present; current existence or occurrence.
  • noun The area immediately surrounding a great personage, especially a sovereign.
  • noun A person who is present, especially in an impressive way.
  • noun A person's bearing, especially when it commands respectful attention.
  • noun The quality of self-assurance and effectiveness that permits a performer to achieve a rapport with the audience.
  • noun A supernatural influence felt to be nearby.
  • noun The people, especially diplomats or troops, stationed by a government in a foreign country.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The state of being present; the state of being in a certain place, and not in some other place; being, continuance, or stay in a certain place: as, the presence of a planet in a particular part of its orbit; specifically, the state of being near the speaker or writer or in some place upon which his thought is directed.
  • noun Companionship; attendance; company; society.
  • noun Immediate neighborhood or vicinity; close proximity.
  • noun The state of being face to face with a great personage or with a superior.
  • noun An assembly, particularly of persons of rank; a noble company.
  • noun Personality; the sum of the qualities of an individual; personage.
  • noun Aspect; appearance; demeanor; mien; air.
  • noun An apparition; a vision; a specter.
  • noun A presence-chamber.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The state of being present, or of being within sight or call, or at hand; -- opposed to absence.
  • noun The place in which one is present; the part of space within one's ken, call, influence, etc.; neighborhood without the intervention of anything that forbids intercourse.
  • noun Specifically, neighborhood to the person of one of superior of exalted rank; also, presence chamber.
  • noun The whole of the personal qualities of an individual; person; personality; especially, the person of a superior, as a sovereign.
  • noun An assembly, especially of person of rank or nobility; noble company.
  • noun Port, mien; air; personal appearence.
  • noun the room in which a great personage receives company.
  • noun that state of the mind in which all its faculties are alert, prompt, and acting harmoniously in obedience to the will, enabling one to reach, as it were spontaneously or by intuition, just conclusions in sudden emergencies.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The fact or condition of being present, or of being within sight or call, or at hand.
  • noun The part of space within one's immediate vicinity.
  • noun A quality of poise and effectiveness that enables a performer to achieve a close relationship with his audience.
  • noun Something (as a spirit) felt or believed to be present.
  • noun A company's business activity in a particular market.
  • noun The state of being closely focused on the here and now, not distracted by irrelevant thoughts
  • verb To make or become present.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the immediate proximity of someone or something
  • noun an invisible spiritual being felt to be nearby
  • noun dignified manner or conduct
  • noun the impression that something is present
  • noun the state of being present; current existence
  • noun the act of being present

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Through Old French presence, from Latin praesentia ("a being present"), from praesentem.

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