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abstinency

 - 4 dictionary results

ab⋅sti⋅nence

  [ab-stuh-nuhns]
Use abstinency 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.
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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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