abstinence
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English, from Old French astinence, from Latin abstinentia, from abstinens, present participle of abstinēō (“withhold”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
abstinence (uncountable)
- The act or practice of abstaining, refraining from indulging a desire or appetite. [First attested around 1150 to 1350.][1]
- Penance, fasts, and abstinence, / To punish bodies for the soul's offense. - John Dryden
- The abstinence from a present pleasure that offers itself is a pain, nay, oftentimes, a very great one. — John Locke
- Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation. — St Augustine
- Specifically, the practice of abstaining from intoxicating/alcoholic beverages; total abstinence; teetotalism). [First attested around 1150 to 1350.][1]
- Specifically, the practice of abstaining from sexual intercourse, either permanently or until marriage. [First attested around 1150 to 1350.][1]
- (ecclesiastical) Abstention from certain foods on days of penitential observance. [First attested around 1150 to 1350.][1]
- The practice of self-denial; self-restraint; forebearance from anything. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][1]
- (obsolete) Self-denial; abstaining; or forebearance of anything. [First attested around 1150 to 1350.][1]
- (business) Delay of spending to accrue capital.
Translations[edit]
the act or practice of abstaining
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specifically, abstinence from alcohol
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specifically, abstinence from sexual intercourse
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the practice of self-denial
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See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 2003 [1933], Brown, Lesley editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, edition 5th, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7, page 10:
- abstinence in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
French[edit]
Noun[edit]
abstinence f (plural abstinences)
- abstinence (act or practice of abstaining)
- abstinence (specifically act or practice of abstaining from alcohol)
- abstinence (specifically act or practice of abstaining from sexual relations)
Middle French[edit]
Noun[edit]
abstinence f (plural abstinences)
- abstinence (act or practice of abstaining)
