[ab.so.lute] adj [ME absolut, fr. L absolutus, fr. pp. of absolvere to set free, absolve] (14c) 1 a: free from imperfection: perfect b: free or relatively free from mixture: pure "~ alcohol" c: outright, unmitigated "an ~ lie"
2: being, governed by, or characteristic of a ruler or authority completely free from constitutional or other restraint 3 a: standing apart from a normal or usual syntactical relation with other words or sentence elements "the ~ 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 ~" c of a verb: having no object in the particular construction under consideration though normally transitive "kill in "if looks could kill" is an ~ verb"
4: having no restriction, exception, or qualification "an ~ requirement" "~ freedom"
5: positive, unquestionable "~ 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 "~ electric units" c: relating to, measured on, or being a temperature scale based on absolute zero "~ temperature"; specif: kelvin "10 degrees ~" 7: fundamental, ultimate "~ knowledge" 8: perfectly embodying the nature of a thing "~ justice" 9: being self-sufficient and free of external references or relationships "an ~ term in logic" "~ music" 10: being the true distance from an aircraft to the earth's surface "~ altitude" -- absolute n -- ab.so.lute.ness n