Présence

Présence is a French noun meaning the state of being present or the fact of existing in a place or moment. It is used in everyday language and in fields such as philosophy, psychology, sociology, and spirituality to indicate being there, as opposed to absence.

Etymology and usage: from Latin praesentia, from praesent- 'present'. In French, presence is distinct from the related adjective présent and the verb être présent; presence emphasizes the occurrence or attendance, often with connotations of notice, attention, or accountability.

In philosophy and aesthetics, presence concerns how objects, events, or persons are given to awareness. It is linked to the givenness of phenomena in phenomenology and to the navigation between presence and absence that structures experience, memory, and interpretation.

In social sciences and media studies, presence refers to the felt sense of co-presence, whether in physical interaction or through digital technologies. Digital presence denotes a person’s visibility and activity in online environments, and social presence relates to perceived immediacy and engagement.

In religious and spiritual contexts, présente denotes the perceived nearness of the sacred or divine to believers, such as the felt presence in prayer, liturgy, or ritual, and is often described as immanent or transcendent depending on tradition.