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abstemious - 4 dictionary results

ab⋅ste⋅mi⋅ous

  [ab-stee-mee-uhs]
Use abstemious in a Sentence
–adjective
1. sparing or moderate in eating and drinking; temperate in diet.
2. characterized by abstinence: an abstemious life.
3. sparing: an abstemious diet.
Origin:
1615–25; < L abstēmius, equiv. to abs- abs- + tēm- (base of tēmētum intoxicating drink) + -ius -ious

Related forms:
ab⋅ste⋅mi⋅ous⋅ly, adverb
ab⋅ste⋅mi⋅ous⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
ascetic, abstinent, temperate, nonindulgent.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ab·ste·mi·ous   (āb-stē'mē-əs, əb-)   
adj.  
  1. Eating and drinking in moderation.
  2. Characterized by abstinence or moderation: The hermit led an abstemious way of life.

[From Latin abstēmius : abs-, ab-, away; see ab-1 + *tēmum, liquor, variant of tēmētum.]
ab·ste'mi·ous·ly adv., ab·ste'mi·ous·ness 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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Abstemious

Ab*ste"mi*ous\, a. [L. abstemius; ab, abs + root of temetum intoxicating drink.]

1. Abstaining from wine. [Orig. Latin sense.]

Under his special eye Abstemious I grew up and thrived amain. --Milton.

2. Sparing in diet; refraining from a free use of food and strong drinks; temperate; abstinent; sparing in the indulgence of the appetite or passions.

Instances of longevity are chiefly among the abstemious. --Arbuthnot.

3. Sparingly used; used with temperance or moderation; as, an abstemious diet. --Gibbon.

4. Marked by, or spent in, abstinence; as, an abstemious life. "One abstemious day." --Pope.

5. Promotive of abstemiousness. [R.]

Such is the virtue of the abstemious well. --Dryden.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : abstemious
Spanish: abstemio,
German: enthaltsam,
Japanese: 節制した
More Translations »

abstemious 
1610, from L. abstemius "sober, temperate," from ab(s)- "from" + stem of temetum "strong drink," related to temulentus "drunken." Technically, of liquor, but extended in L. to temperance in living generally.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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