Dictionary De - En
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De - Pt| English Dictionary: abstinence | by the DICT Development Group |
| 2 results for abstinence | |
| From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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| From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
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Abstinence \Ab"sti*nence\, n. [F. abstinence, L. abstinentia, fr. abstinere. See {Abstain}.] 1. 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}. The abstinence from a present pleasure that offers itself is a pain, nay, oftentimes, a very great one. --Locke. 2. The practice of self-denial by depriving one's self of certain kinds of food or drink, especially of meat. Penance, fasts, and abstinence, To punish bodies for the soul's offense. --Dryden. | |
