The kanji 絶 generally conveys the idea of "to stop," "to cease," "to cut off," or "to disconnect." It implies a complete break or end to something, whether it be a physical object, a feeling, a relationship, or an activity. It suggests a finality or an absence of continuation.

・On-yomi (音読み): ・ゼツ (zetsu) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ・た（える） (taeru): to cease, to die out ・た（つ） (tatsu): to sever, to cut off

⚫︎ 絶対 (zettai) Translation: absolute, definitely ⚫︎ 絶望 (zetsubou) Translation: despair, hopelessness ⚫︎ 途絶える (todaeru) Translation: to cease, to stop

The kanji 絶 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字; keisei moji). The left side is a silk radical (糸; ito), which provides the meaning related to thread or string. The right side is a phonetic component (刀; tō), which is the shape of a knife. The combination suggests the act of cutting a thread or string completely, hence the meaning of "to sever" or "to cut off."