late 14c., "unrestricted, free from limitation; complete, perfect, free from imperfection;" also "not relative to something else" (mid-15c.), from Latin absolutus, past participle of absolvere "to set free, acquit; complete, bring to an end; make separate," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + solvere "to loosen, untie, release, detach," from PIE *se-lu-, from reflexive pronoun *s (w)e- (see idiom) + root *leu- "to loosen, divide, cut apart."
Full Answer
What is the root word of absolute?
absolute (adj.) late 14c., "unrestricted, free from limitation; complete, perfect, free from imperfection;" also "not relative to something else" (mid-15c.), from Latin absolutus, past participle of absolvere "to set free, acquit; complete, bring to an end; make separate," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + solvere "to loosen, untie, release, ...
What is the meaning of absolutism?
Definition of absolutism 1a : a political theory that absolute power should be vested in one or more rulers b : government by an absolute ruler or authority : despotism
What is the meaning of the prefix absolution?
Its prefix is ab-, which means away from. Absolutely, therefore means to unfasten or free away from. Absolution means loosening away from some past association or misdeed, as in absolve someone of a sin.
Why did absolutist monarchs have absolute power?
Their power was absolute in a way that was impossible to achieve for medieval monarchs, who were confronted by a church that was essentially a rival centre of authority. More pragmatic arguments than that of divine right were also advanced in support of absolutism.
What is the root word for absolute?
From Middle English absolut, from Middle French absolut, from Latin absolūtus (“unconditional; unfettered; completed”), perfect passive participle of absolvō (“loosen, set free, complete”), from ab (“away”) + solvo (“to loose”). Influenced in part by Old French absolu. Compare absolve.
What is the word absolutism mean?
Definition of absolutism 1a : a political theory that absolute power should be vested in one or more rulers. b : government by an absolute ruler or authority : despotism. 2 : advocacy of a rule by absolute standards or principles. 3 : an absolute standard or principle.
What is another word for absolutism?
In this page you can discover 30 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for absolutism, like: rationalism, authoritarianism, absolute-monarchy, puritanism, despotism, dictatorship, totalism, autocracy, totalitarianism, autarchy and tyranny.
What is an example of absolutism?
Conscientious objectors in the military are an example. Other examples of absolutist beliefs include: beliefs in equity or “fairness,” freedom-of-choice, democracy, the golden rule, the rule of law (an opposition to arbitrary power), justice, professionalism, the PRSA Code of Ethics, the Ten Commandments, etc.
Who does absolutist mean?
An absolutist is someone who believes that the best form of government allows one person to hold all the power. North Korea is an example of a country that's been run by an absolutist leader for many years. In politics, the word absolutist is very closely related to the terms totalitarian and autocratic.
How did absolutism come about?
Absolutism was primarily motivated by the crises of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Protestant Re formation (1517–1648) had led to a series of violent and bloody wars of religion, in the course of which thou sands of innocents met their deaths.
What's the opposite of absolutism?
What is the opposite of absolutism?democracyliberalityeaserelaxationunderstandingmercylaxityleniencytolerance
What is absolute synonym?
complete, total, utter, out-and-out, outright, entire, perfect, pure, decided. thorough, thoroughgoing, undivided, unqualified, unadulterated, unalloyed, unmodified, unreserved, downright, undiluted, solid, consummate, unmitigated, sheer, arrant, rank, dyed-in-the-wool.
What part of speech is absolutism?
(noun)ABSOLUTISM (noun) definition and synonyms | Macmillan Dictionary.
Who believed in absolutism?
The ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle believed in a kind of Absolutism or Universalism, opposing the Moral Relativism of the Sophists.
What are characteristics of absolutism?
Absolutism is characterized by the ending of feudal partitioning, consolidation of power with the monarch, rise of state power, unification of the state laws, and a decrease in the influence of the Church and the nobility.
How do you use the word absolutism in a sentence?
How to use Absolutism in a sentenceThis is perhaps the best that can be said of a king who incarnated the stolid absolutism of the period. ... The Kongelov has the highly dubious honour of being the one written law in the civilized world which fearlessly carries out absolutism to the last consequences.More items...
How do you use the word absolutism in a sentence?
How to use Absolutism in a sentenceThis is perhaps the best that can be said of a king who incarnated the stolid absolutism of the period. ... The Kongelov has the highly dubious honour of being the one written law in the civilized world which fearlessly carries out absolutism to the last consequences.More items...
What divine right means?
Definition of divine right : the right of a sovereign to rule as set forth by the theory of government that holds that a monarch receives the right to rule directly from God and not from the people.
What is the importance of absolutism?
For much of the 17th and 18th centuries, absolutism was the preeminent theory and practice of government in Europe. Its advantages of unity, stability and national glory, exemplified by the fabulous court of Versailles, was very persuasive indeed.
What is the most commonly studied form of absolutism?
For full treatment, see European History and Culture: Absolutism. The most commonly studied form of absolutism is absolute monarchy, which originated in early modern Europe and was based on the strong individual leaders of the new nation-states that were created at the breakup of the medieval order. The power of these states was closely associated ...
Who were the absolutist rulers of the 20th century?
Absolutist rulers who emerged later in the 20th century, in addition to Hitler and Stalin, included Benito Mussolini of Italy, Mao Zedong of China, and Kim Il-Sung of North Korea, whose son ( Kim Jong Il) and grandson ( Kim Jong-Un) continued the pattern of absolutist rule in the country into the 21st century.
What is the most common defense of monarchical absolutism?
The most common defense of monarchical absolutism, known as “the divine right of kings ” theory , asserted that kings derived their authority from God. This view could justify even tyrannical rule as divinely ordained punishment, administered by rulers, for human sinfulness.
Who said "I am the state"?
King Louis XIV (1643–1715) of France furnished the most familiar assertion of absolutism when he said, “L’état, c’est moi” (“I am the state”). Absolutism has existed in various forms in all parts of the world, including in Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler and in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin.
Where did absolutism originate?
Referring to European history, the theory and practice of absolutism are generally spoken about with regard to the "absolutist monarchs" of the early modern age (16th to 18th centuries). It is much rarer to find any discussion of the 20th century dictators as absolutist. Early modern absolutism is believed to have existed across Europe, but largely in the west in states such as Spain, Prussia, and Austria. It is considered to have reached its apogee under the rule of French King Louis XIV from 1643 to 1715, although there are dissenting views—such as that of historian Roger Mettam—suggesting that this was more dream than reality.
Why did absolutism develop?
This developed into a new style of state that had been aided by new tax laws and centralized bureaucracy allowing standing armies reliant on the king, not nobles, and concepts of the sovereign nation. The demands of an evolving military are now one of the more popular explanations for why absolutism developed. Nobles weren’t exactly pushed aside by absolutism and the loss of their autonomy, as they could benefit greatly from jobs, honors, and income within the system.
What did Enlightenment thinkers do to the absolute monarchs?
If Enlightenment thinkers had helped the absolute monarchs, the Enlightenment thinking they developed helped destroy their later rulers.
What did the absolutist monarchs do?
The absolutist monarchs had seen this power centralize and expand as they became rulers of modern nation-states, which had emerged from more medieval forms of government, where nobles, councils/parliaments, and the church had held powers and acted as checks, if not outright rivals, on the old-style monarch .
What was the idea behind the enlightened absolutist government?
The idea was to justify the absolutist government by using that power to create a better life for the subjects. This style of rule became known as "Enlightened Absolutism.".
What is absolute power?
Absolutism is a political theory and form of government in which unlimited, complete power is held by a centralized sovereign individual, with no checks or balances from any other part of the nation or government. In effect, the ruling individual has absolute power, with no legal, electoral, or other challenges to that power.
What is the train of thought that Thomas Hobbes espoused?
A different train of thought espoused by some political philosophers was "natural law, " which held that there are certain immutable, naturally occurring laws that affect states. Thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes saw absolute power as an answer to problems caused by natural law: that members of a country gave up certain freedoms and put their power in the hands of one person to safeguard order and give security. The alternative was violence driven by basic forces such as greed.
What does "despotic" mean in the sense evolution?
Sense evolution probably was from "detached, disengaged" to "perfect, pure.". Meaning "despotic" (1610s) is from notion of "absolute in position;" absolute monarchy is recorded from 1735 ( absolute king is recorded from 1610s).
What is the absolute magnitude of a star?
Absolute magnitude (1902) is the brightness a star would have at a distance of 10 parsecs (or 32.6 light years); scientific absolute value is from 1907. As a noun in metaphysics, the absolute "that which is unconditional or free from restriction; the non-relative" is from 1809.
What is the definition of absolute?
An absolute can be thought of as something completely dissociated from anything else. In politics, absolutism is a political theory holding that all power should be vested in one ruler or other authority. The absolutist leader or authority is not constrained by checks and balances. He is accountable to no one.
What is the difference between absolutism and doxy?
In general, absolutism is any absolute doctrine, principle, or standard. It’s a stand-alone principle. In this it’s like an orthodoxy. Doxy is a belief. Ortho- means straight or correct—pure. An absolutist embraces read-only values, values that must be applied but can never be edited or modified.
What does "solve" mean in Latin?
It’s got solve in it, like dissolve, solution, solubility, solvent, and absolve. Solve is from the Latin, Solvere which means to unfasten or free. Its prefix is ab-, which means away from. Absolutely, therefore means to unfasten or free away from. Absolution means loosening away from some past association or misdeed, as in absolve someone of a sin.
What does "absolutely" mean in a conversation?
In everyday conversation “absolutely” is a superlative. It means, in effect, “I couldn’t agree with you more.” Language suffers chronic superlative inflation, especially these days when everything has to be affirmed as greater than great. We keep on having to come up with new superlatives as our old one wear out: Cool, great, keen, neat, spiffy, gnarly, awesome—they lose their potency so quickly. Awesome originally means something like awe-inspiring. But when people start saying, “Oh, awesome, you bought some more chips,” it probably no longer means awe-inspiring, unless the person saying it is stoned and experiencing a very intense case of the munchies. In that exceptional case, its original meaning may be sustained.
What does "absolutely" mean?
“Absolutely,” we say when we’re convinced of something—a great and powerful little word--so powerful, we may get through our whole lives without noticing its origin and commonalities with other words.
Is the Absolutist dangerous?
It is of course dangerous too. The absolutist becomes a juggernaut on an unalterable course. In a world of game-changing events, its very likely that the absolutist’s unalterable course will eventually become a collision course.
Absolute Monarchies
Enlightened Absolutism
- Enlightened Absolutism—also called Enlightened Despotism and Benevolent Absolutism—was a form of absolute monarchy in which monarchs were influenced by the Age of Enlightenment. In a bizarre historical contradiction, enlightened monarchs justified their absolute power to rule by adopting Enlightenment-era concerns about individual liberty, education, art, health, and legal or…
Theories of Absolutism
- Absolutism is based on a theory of legislative authority holding that monarchs have exclusive and total legal authority. As a result, the laws of the state are nothing but expressions of their will. The monarchs’ power can only be limited by natural laws, which in practical terms, presents no limitation at all. In ancient Rome, emperors were legall...
Differences from Other Theories
- While the terms absolute monarchy, autocracy, and totalitarianismall imply absolute political and social authority and have negative connotations they are not the same. The key difference in these forms of government is how their rulers take and hold power. While absolute and enlightened absolute monarchs typically assume their positions through ancestral inheritance, r…
Sources
- Wilson, Peter. “Absolutism in Central Europe (Historical Connections).”Routledge, August 21, 2000, ISBN-10: 0415150434.
- Mettam, Roger. “Power and Faction in Louis XIV's France.”Blackwell Pub, March 1, 1988, ISBN-10: 0631156674.
- Beik, William. “Louis XIV and Absolutism: A Brief Study with Documents.”Bedford/St. Martin's…
- Wilson, Peter. “Absolutism in Central Europe (Historical Connections).”Routledge, August 21, 2000, ISBN-10: 0415150434.
- Mettam, Roger. “Power and Faction in Louis XIV's France.”Blackwell Pub, March 1, 1988, ISBN-10: 0631156674.
- Beik, William. “Louis XIV and Absolutism: A Brief Study with Documents.”Bedford/St. Martin's, January 20, 2000, ISBN-10: 031213309X.
- Schwartzwald, Jack L. “The Rise of the Nation-State in Europe: Absolutism, Enlightenment and Revolution, 1603-1815.”McFarland, October 11, 2017, ASIN: B077DMY8LB.
