Word of the Day

: March 15, 2007

abstain

verb ub-STAYN

What It Means

: to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice

abstain in Context

It is now recommended that pregnant women abstain from alcohol and certain medications until after delivery.

Did You Know?

If you "abstain," you're consciously and usually with effort choosing to "hold back" from doing something that you would like to do. So it's no surprise that "abstain" traces back through Middle English and Anglo-French to the Latin "abstinēre," which combines the prefix "ab-" ("from, away, off") with "tenēre," a Latin verb meaning "to hold." "Tenēre" has many offspring in English -- other descendants include "contain," "detain," "maintain," "obtain," "pertain," "retain," and "sustain," as well as some words that don't end in "-tain," such as "tenacious." "Abstain," like many of its cousins, has been used by English speakers since at least the 14th century.