present

1、芯子是"在跟前"（praeesse = prae-「在前」+ esse「存在」）：present 本义是在场、此刻；absent（不在场）正是它的反面，两个词共用 esse，同 essence（本质）、is。
2、"礼物"这层很实在：古法语的说法是"把东西带到某人跟前去"，送到手里的东西自然就叫 present；动词 present（出示、主持颁奖）出自"摆到前面"。
3、读音分两拨记：形容词、名词重音在前 /ˈprez.ənt/，动词重音在后 /prɪˈzent/；语法里的常考说法是 the present perfect（现在完成时）、the present continuous（现在进行时）。

present 存在的，在场的，现存的，当前的

来自法语present,在场的，当前的，来自拉丁语praesentem,在场的，当前的，来自拉丁语praeesse,当前，在前，在场，在边上，来自prae,在前，在前面，esse,存在，成为，是，词源同is,essence,absent.-ent,现在分词后缀。

present 提出，提交，展现，展示，出席，主持，颁奖，礼物

来自古法语presenter,提出，介绍，引进，来自拉丁语praesentare,放置，置于前，展示，词 源同present.引申诸相关动词词义及名词词义礼物。

present

present: [13] The Latin adjective praesēns ‘at hand, now here’ originated as the present participle of praeesse ‘be before one’, a compound verb formed from the prefix prae- ‘in front’ and esse ‘be’. English acquired it via Old French present, the same route as was taken by its derivative praesentia on its way to English presence [14]. The use of the related noun present for ‘gift’ originated in Old French in the concept of ‘bringing something into someone’s presence’, and hence of giving it to them. The verb present [13] comes from the Latin derivative praesentāre.

present (adj.)

c. 1300, "existing at the time," from Old French present "evident, at hand, within reach;" as a noun, "the present time" (11c., Modern French présent) and directly from Latin praesentem (nominative praesens) "present, at hand, in sight; immediate; prompt, instant; contemporary," from present participle of præesse "be before (someone or something), be at hand," from prae- "before" (see pre-) + esse "to be" (see essence). Meaning "being there" is from mid-14c. in English. As a grammatical tense, recorded from late 14c.

present (v.)

c. 1300, "introduce (someone or something) formally or ceremonially;" also "make a formal presentation of; give as a gift or award; bestow," from Old French presenter (11c., Modern French présenter) and directly from Latin praesentare "to place before, show, exhibit," from stem of praesens (see present (adj.)). From late 14c. as "exhibit (something), offer for inspection, display;" also, in law, "make a formal complaint or charge of wrongdoing." From c. 1400 as"represent, portray." Related: Presented; presenting.

present (n.1)

"this point in time" (opposed to past and future), c. 1300, "the present time," also "act or fact of being present; portion of space around someone," from Old French present (n.) from Latin praesens "being there" (see present (adj.)). In old legalese, these presents means "these documents."

present (n.2)

c. 1200, "thing offered, what is offered or given as a gift," from Old French present and Medieval Latin presentia, from phrases such as French en present "(to offer) in the presence of," mettre en present "place before, give," from Late Latin inpraesent "face to face," from Latin in re praesenti "in the situation in question," from praesens "being there" (see present (adj.)), on the notion of "bringing something into someone's presence."

1. The carpet was a wedding present from the Prime Minister.

这张地毯是首相送的结婚礼物。

2. They said the present system of military conscription should be phased out.

他们说，当前的征兵体系应当逐步废除。

3. I pushed the problem aside; at present it was insoluble.

我把问题抛在一边，目前它还无法解决。

4. At present children under 14 are not permitted in bars.

目前，14岁以下儿童不允许进酒吧。

5. In the present climate, owners are hanging on to old ships.

在目前的形势下，船东们都不愿淘汰掉旧船。

【modern, present, up-to-date, contemporary, current, recent】
这组词都有“现代的，当代的”的意思，其区别是：
modern: 指现代或近代，时期可长可短。也可指新颖、时髦的。
present: 是这些词中语气最强的一个。指现在正发生、起作用的。
up-to-date: 一般用于非正式场合，指很时新、能反映当前的最新发展。
contemporary: 仅指当今这个时代，不涉及任何过去的时代。但可表示不同的人或物存在于同一时代。
current: 指目前存在和发生的。
recent: 表示新近的，最近的，时间的长短依据所修饰的人或物而定。

【equip, furnish, present, provide, volunteer, propose, supply, offer, afford】
equip: 侧重提供与技术有关的装备或设备等
furnish: 多指添置家具等供给生活的必需品或为生活舒适提供所需的服务设施
present: 既可指提出意见建议等，又可指拿出某物供人欣赏或赠送
provide: 与supply近义，但强调人的深谋远虑，侧重用贮备等方法作充分准备
volunteer: 侧重出于自愿，而不是奉命做某事
propose: 指直接而主动地提出问题或建议等，也指在讨论或争辩中提出具体意见或建议
supply: 普通用词，指提供任何所需求的东西
offer: 多指主动提出或提供意见或东西等，但是否接受由对方自行决定
afford: 一般只用于对抽象事物提供，也可指经济能力上的供给或支付

【present, gift, souvenir, tip】
这组词都有“礼物，赠品”的意思，其区别是：
present: 普通用词，指给亲朋好友的礼物，赠者与被赠者之间存在某种个人关系，所赠礼物一般不是很昂贵的。
gift: 含义广，既可指真诚相送的礼物、赠品或生日、节日礼物，又可指捐赠的物品或捐款等。
souvenir: 指对人、物、地点或事件有纪念意义的礼物或纪念品。
tip: 指为酬谢他人服务而给的小费。

【confer, present, endow, grant, give, award, accord, bestow】
这组词都有“给予，赠给”的意思，其区别是：
confer: 通常指授予称号或学位等。
present: 指正式地给予或授予，通常伴有仪式进行。
endow: 指捐赠大量的钱作基金，也可指给予非物质的东西。
grant: 多指出于慷慨、怜悯或正义感而给予，并且通常是在被请求下给予。
give: 最普通用词，泛指将自己的东西给予他人，所给予的东西，物质或非物质的均可。
award: 通常暗示所给予的东西是接受者应得的，而且给予者往往是具有裁判权力的。
accord: 侧重所给予的是应得的或是恰当的，或是因某种原因而适于接受的。
bestow: 正式用词，指把某物作为礼物赠送于某人，也可作引申用。