abstain : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: abstain	by the DICT Development Group
3 results for abstain
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
abstain v refrain from voting choose not to consume; "I abstain from alcohol" Synonym(s): abstain, refrain, desist Antonym(s): consume, have, ingest, take, take in
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Abstain \Abstain"\, v. t. To hinder; to withhold. Whether he abstain* men from marrying. --Milton.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Abstain \Ab*stain"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Abstained}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Abstaining}.] [OE. absteynen, abstenen, OF. astenir, abstenir, F. abstenir, fr. L. abstinere, abstentum, v. t. & v. i., to keep from; ab, abs + tenere to hold. See {Tenable}.] To hold one's self aloof; to forbear or refrain voluntarily, and especially from an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from. Not a few abstained from voting. --Macaulay. Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt? --Shak. Syn: To refrain; forbear; withhold; deny one's self; give up; relinquish.