ABSTINENCE
abstinence
(noun) act or practice of refraining from indulging an appetite
abstinence, abstention
(noun) the trait of abstaining (especially from alcohol)
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
abstinence (countable and uncountable, plural abstinences)
The act or practice of abstaining, refraining from indulging a desire or appetite. [First attested around 1150 to 1350.]
Specifically, the practice of abstaining from intoxicating/alcoholic beverages; total abstinence; teetotalism. [First attested around 1150 to 1350.]
Specifically, the practice of abstaining from sexual intercourse, either permanently or until marriage. [First attested around 1150 to 1350.]
(ecclesiastical) Abstention from certain foods on days of penitential observance. [First attested around 1150 to 1350.]
The practice of self-denial; self-restraint; forebearance from anything. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
(obsolete) Self-denial; abstaining; or forebearance of anything. [First attested around 1150 to 1350.]
(business) Delay of spending to accrue capital.
Source: Wiktionary
Ab"sti*nence, n. Etym: [F. abstinence, L. abstinentia, fr. abstinere. See Abstain.]
1. The act or practice of abstaining; voluntary forbearance of any action, especially the refraining from an indulgence of appetite, or from customary gratifications of animal or sensual propensities. Specifically, the practice of abstaining from intoxicating beverages,
– called also total abstinence. The abstinence from a present pleasure that offers itself is a pain, nay, oftentimes, a very great one. Locke.
2. The practice of self-denial by depriving one's self of certain kinds of food or drink, especially of meat. Penance, fasts, and abstinence, To punish bodies for the soul's offense. Dryden.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
3 July 2025
SENSE
(noun) the faculty through which the external world is apprehended; “in the dark he had to depend on touch and on his senses of smell and hearing”
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