Definition of absences:
(n) :
A state of being away or withdrawn from a place or from companionship
(n) :
Failure to be present where one is expected, wanted, or needed; nonattendance; deficiency.
(n) :
The period of someone being away.
(n) :
Lack; deficiency; non-existence.
(n) :
Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind).
(n) :
(medicine) Temporary loss or disruption of consciousness, with sudden onset and recovery, and common in epilepsy.