abstain
pronunciation
How to pronounce abstain in British English:
UK [əbˈsteɪn]
How to pronounce abstain in American English:
US [əbˈsteɪn]
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- Verb:
- refrain from voting
- choose no to consume
Word Origin
- abstain
- abstain: [14] The literal meaning of this word’s ultimate source, Latin abstinēre, was ‘hold or keep away’, and hence ‘withhold’ (the root verb, tenēre, produced many other derivatives in English, such as contain, maintain, obtain, and retain, as well as tenacious, tenant, tenement, tenet, tenor, and tenure).That is how it was used when it was first introduced into English (via Old French abstenir), and it was not until the 16th century that it began to be used more specifically for refraining from pleasurable activities, particularly the drinking of alcohol. The past participial stem of the Latin verb, abstent-, gave us abstention, while the present participial stem, abstinent-, produced abstinent and abstinence.There is no connection, incidentally, with the semantically similar abstemious, which comes from a Latin word for alcoholic drink, tēmōtum.
- abstain (v.)
- late 14c., "to withhold oneself," from Old French abstenir (14c.), earlier astenir (13c.) "hold (oneself) back, refrain, abstain (from), practice abstinence," from Latin abstinere "withhold, keep back, keep off," from ab(s)- "from, away from" (see ab-) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Specifically of liquor, late 14c. Of voting, 1796. Related: Abstained; abstaining.
Antonym
Example
- 1. China instead chose to abstain from the vote .
- 2. It often chose to abstain in votes it did not support .
- 3. But his decision to abstain from the vote on november 7th has undermined his credibility with mr samaras .
- 4. Whether it can convince russia and china to abstain rather than veto a forthcoming un security council resolution is uncertain .
- 5. But more than two in five nervously refused to express a preference ; many may abstain through fear .