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abstainer

 - 2 dictionary results

ab⋅stain⋅er

  [ab-stey-ner]
–noun
1. a person who abstains from something regarded as improper or unhealthy, esp. the drinking of alcoholic beverages.
2. a person who abstains from anything.
Use abstainer in a Sentence
Origin:
1525–35; abstain + -er 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To abstainer
ab·stain   (āb-stān', əb-)   
intr.v.   ab·stained, ab·stain·ing, ab·stains

  1. To refrain from something by one's own choice: abstain from traditional political rhetoric. See Synonyms at refrain1.

  2. To refrain from voting: Forty senators voted in favor of the bill, 45 voted against it, and 15 abstained.


[Middle English absteinen, to avoid, from Old French abstenir, from Latin abstinēre, to hold back : abs-, ab-, away; see ab-1 + tenēre, to hold; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
ab·stain'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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