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. [1913 Webster]
"The abstinence from a present pleasure that offers itself is a pain, nay, oftentimes, a very great one." [1913 Webster]
The practice of self-denial by depriving one's self of certain kinds of food or drink, especially of meat. [1913 Webster]
"Penance, fasts, and abstinence,
To punish bodies for the soul's offense." [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

abstinence, n.
1 the act of abstaining, esp. from food or alcohol.
2 the habit of abstaining from pleasure, food, etc.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. L abstinentia (as ABSTINENT)

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THESAURUS

abstinence

Albigensianism, Catharism, Encratism, Franciscanism, Friday, Lenten fare, Platonic love, Pythagoreanism, Pythagorism, Rechabitism, Sabbatarianism, Shakerism, Spartan fare, Stoicism, Trappism, Waldensianism, Yoga, abnegation, abstainment, abstemiousness, abstention, abstinence from food, anchoritic monasticism, anchoritism, asceticism, austerity, avoidance, banyan day, calm, calmness, celibacy, chastity, conservatism, constraint, continence, continency, control, cool, desuetude, dispassion, disuse, eremitism, eschewal, evenness, fast, fasting, fish day, flagellation, fruitarianism, gentleness, golden mean, gymnosophy, happy medium, impartiality, intactness, judiciousness, juste-milieu, lenity, maceration, maidenhead, maidenhood, meden agan, mendicantism, middle way, mildness, moderateness, moderation, moderationism, monachism, monasticism, mortification, nephalism, neutrality, nonemployment, nonprevalence, nonuse, nonviolence, nothing in excess, obsolescence, obsoleteness, obsoletion, obsoletism, pacifism, pensioning off, plain living, prudence, punishment of Tantalus, puritanism, refraining, refrainment, renunciation, repose, restraint, restriction of intake, retirement, rigor, self-abnegation, self-control, self-denial, self-mortification, self-restraint, serenity, sexual abstinence, simple diet, sobriety, spare diet, stability, starvation, steadiness, superannuation, teetotalism, temperance, temperateness, the pledge, total abstinence, tranquillity, unexcessiveness, unextravagance, unextremeness, unprevalence, vegetarianism, via media, virginity, voluntary poverty

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ROGET THESAURUS

abstinence

Avoidance

N avoidance, abstention, abstinence, for bearance, refraining, inaction, neutrality, avoidance, evasion, elusion, seclusion, avolation, flight, escape, retreat, recoil, departure, rejection, shirker, truant, fugitive, refugee, runaway, runagate, maroon, unsought, unattempted, avoiding, neutral, shy of, elusive, evasive, fugitive, runaway, shy, wild, Adj, lest, in order to avoid, Int, forbear!, keep off, hands off!, sauve qui peut!, every man for himself!, devil take the hindmost!, things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.

Disuse

N disuse, forbearance, abstinence, disuse, relinquishment, desuetude, disusage, not used, unemployed, unapplied, undisposed of, unspent, unexercised, untouched, untrodden, unessayed, ungathered, unculled, uncalled for, not required, disused, done with.

Temperance

N temperance, moderation, sobriety, soberness, forbearance, abnegation, self-denial, self-restraint, self-control, frugality, vegetarianism, teetotalism, total abstinence, abstinence, abstemiousness, Encratism, prohibition, system of Pythagoras, system of Cornaro, Pythagorism, Stoicism, vegetarian, Pythagorean, gymnosophist, teetotaler, abstainer, designated driver, Encratite, fruitarian, hydropot, temperate, moderate, sober, frugal, sparing, abstemious, abstinent, within compass, measured, on the wagon, on the water wagon, dry, Pythagorean, vegetarian, teetotal, appetitus rationi obediant, l'abstenir pour jouir c'est l'epicurisme de la rai, trahit sua quemque voluptas.

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