abstention
nounUK /əbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/ · US /æbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/
Etymology First attested in 1521. Borrowed from French abstention, from Late Latin abstēntiō from Latin abstinēō (“withhold, to abstain”)
1
Obsolete The act of restraining oneself.
2
The act of abstaining or refraining (from).
- abstention from alcohol
- abstention from sex
3
The act of declining to vote on a particular issue.
- There were five abstentions in the vote.
4
Non-participation in the political world; as a country avoiding international affairs.
- Derived terms
- abstention doctrine, abstentionism, abstentionist, abstentious, nonabstention
- Related terms
- abstinence