ABSOLUTE, opposed to relative; means that the thing is considered in itself and without reference to other things.
1. Absolute or non-connotative, accord ing to Whately, is opposed to attributive or connotative. The former does not take note of an attribute connected with the object, which the latter does.
2. According to J. S. Mill, it is incor rect to regard non-connotative and ab solute as synonymous terms. He con siders absolute to mean non-relative, and to be opposed to relative.
In metaphysics, absolute means exist ing independently of any other cause.
A case absolute, in grammar, is one consisting essentially of a substantive and a participle, which form a clause not agreeing with or governed by any word in the remainder of the sentence. In Greek, the absolute case is the geni tive; in Latin, the ablative; in English, it is considered to be the nominative.
In law, personal rights are divided into absolute and relative—absolute, which pertain to men as individuals; and relative, which are incident to them as members of society, standing in various relations to each other. The three chief rights of an absolute kind are the right of personal security, the right of personal liberty, and the right of private property.
Absolute. in natural philosophy, is gen erally opposed to relative. As this rela tivity may be of many kinds, various shades of meaning arise, thus: 1. Absolute or real expansion of a liquid, as opposed to its apparent expan sion, the expansion which would arise when the liquid is heated, if the vessel containing it did not itself expand. (See Atkinson's "Ganot's Physics," bk. ch. iii.) 2. Absolute gravity is the gravity of a body viewed apart from all modifying influences, as, for instance, of the at mosphere. To ascertain its amount, therefore, the body must be weighed vacuo.
3. Absolute motion is the change of place on a body produced by the motion so designated viewed apart from the modifying influence arising from dis turbing elements of another kind.
4. Absolute space is space considered apart from the material bodies in it.
5. Absolute time is time viewed apart from events or any other subjects of mental conception with which it may be associated.
6. Absolute force of a center: Strength of a center.
Absolute zero, an imaginary tempera ture so low that there would be no heat left.