Abstain

How to spell abstain

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce abstain

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does abstain mean?

1. verbTo choose not to do or consume something, especially as an act of self-restraint.
2. verbTo formally decline to cast a vote, neither supporting nor opposing a motion.

Abstain in a sentence

• Her doctor advised her to abstain from alcohol for a month.

• Two board members chose to abstain rather than back the proposal.

• Athletes often abstain from rich food the night before a race.

• If you are uncertain about the motion, you may abstain during the ballot.

Where does abstain come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word goes back to the Latin verb abstinere, which combined abs- meaning 'from' or 'away' with tenere meaning 'to hold', so the literal idea was 'to hold yourself back from' something. Latin speakers used it for keeping away from food, drink, or any tempting activity, and that core sense of deliberate self-restraint has survived intact. English borrowed it in the late 1300s through Old French abstenir, which is why the spelling keeps the -tain ending rather than a phonetic -tane. The same tenere root, 'to hold', quietly powers a whole family of English words including 'contain', 'retain', 'detain', and 'maintain', all built on the idea of holding. Noticing that shared -tain family is a useful way to lock in the spelling, since the temptation is to write it as it sounds.

How the word is built

• abs- (from, away)
• -tain (from Latin tenere: to hold)