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temperance

 - 5 dictionary results

tem⋅per⋅ance

  [tem-per-uhns, tem-pruhns]
Use temperance in a Sentence
–noun
1. moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control.
2. habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion, esp. in the use of alcoholic liquors.
3. total abstinence from alcoholic liquors.
Origin:
1200–50; ME temperaunce < AF < L temperantia self-control. See temper, -ance
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To temperance
tem·per·ance   (těm'pər-əns, těm'prəns)   
n.  

  1. Moderation and self-restraint, as in behavior or expression.

  2. Restraint in the use of or abstinence from alcoholic liquors. See Synonyms at abstinence.

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

temperance 
c.1340, "self-restraint, moderation," from Anglo-Fr. temperaunce (c.1250), from L. temperantia "moderation," from temperans, prp. of temperare "to moderate" (see temper). L. temperantia was used by Cicero to translate Gk. sophrosyne "moderation." In Eng., temperance was used to render L. continentia or abstinentia, specifically in reference to drinking alcohol and eating; hence by early 1800s it came to mean "abstinence from alcoholic drink."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tem·per·ance
Pronunciation: 'tem-p(&-)r&n(t)s, -p&rn(t)s
Function: noun
: habitual moderation in the indulgence of theappetites or passions temperance —Havelock Ellis>; specifically : moderation in or abstinence from the use of intoxicatingdrink
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

temperance tem·per·ance (těm'pər-əns, těm'prəns)
n.

  1. Moderation and self-restraint, as in behavior or expression.

  2. Restraint in the use of or abstinence from alcoholic liquors.

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