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abstinence

 - 5 dictionary results

ab⋅sti⋅nence

  [ab-stuh-nuhns]
Use abstinence in a Sentence
–noun
1. forbearance from any indulgence of appetite, esp. from the use of alcoholic beverages: total abstinence.
2. any self-restraint, self-denial, or forbearance.
3. Economics. the conserving of current income in order to build up capital or savings.
4. the state of being without a drug, as alcohol or heroin, on which one is dependent.
Also, ab⋅sti⋅nen⋅cy.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME < L abstinentia. See abstain, -ence

Related forms:
ab⋅sti⋅nent, adjective
ab⋅sti⋅nent⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. abstemiousness, sobriety, teetotalism.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To abstinence
ab·sti·nence   (āb'stə-nəns)   
n.  The act or practice of refraining from indulging an appetite or desire, especially for alcoholic drink or sexual intercourse.

[Middle English, from Old French abstenance, from Latin abstinentia, from abstinēns, abstinent-, present participle of abstinēre, to hold back; see abstain.]
ab'sti·nent adj., ab'sti·nent·ly adv.
Synonyms: These nouns refer to restraint of one's appetites or desires. Abstinence implies the willful avoidance of pleasures, especially of food and drink, thought to be harmful or self-indulgent: "I vainly reminded him of his protracted abstinence from food" (Emily Brontë).
Self-denial suggests resisting one's own desires for the achievement of a higher goal: I practiced self-denial to provide for my family's needs.
Temperance refers to moderation and self-restraint and sobriety to gravity in bearing, manner, or treatment; both nouns denote moderation in or abstinence from the consumption of alcoholic liquor: Teetotalers preach temperance for everyone. "those moments which would come between the subsidence of actual sobriety and the commencement of intoxication" (Anthony Trollope).
Continence specifically refers to abstention from sexual activity: The nun took a vow of continence.
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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Word Origin & History

abstinence 
c.1300, "forbearance in indulgence of the appetites," from L. abstinentem, prp. of abstinere (see abstain). Specifically of sexual appetites from 1340.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ab·sti·nence
Pronunciation: 'ab-st&-n&n(t)s
Function: noun
1 : voluntary forbearance especially from sexualintercourse or from eating some foods
2 : habitual abstaining from intoxicating beverages —ab·sti·nent /-n&nt/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

abstinence ab·sti·nence (āb'stə-nəns)
n.
The act or practice of refraining from indulgence in an appetite, as for certain foods, drink, alcoholic beverages, drugs, or sex.

ab'sti·nent adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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