absentee n.

late 14c., "withdraw (oneself), go away, stay away," from Old French absenter "absent (oneself)," from Late Latin absentare "cause to be away," from Latin absentem (see absent (adj.)). Related: Absented; absenting.

word-forming element in legal English (and in imitation of it), representing the Anglo-French -é ending of past participles used as nouns (compare -y (3)). As these sometimes were coupled with agent nouns in -or, the two suffixes came to be used as a pair to denote the initiator and the recipient of an action.

Not to be confused with the French -ée that is a feminine noun ending (as in fiancée), which is from Latin -ata.

"practice or habit of being absent," 1822, from absentee + -ism; originally in reference to landlords, especially in Ireland, who lived at a distance from their estates (the earlier word was absenteeship (1778) and Johnson's dictionary has absentee in the landlord sense). In reference to pupils or workers from 1922.