Added 4 October 2026
abstention
/əbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/ noun
Latin root: abstēntiō First recorded: 1521 Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about abstention at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The act of restraining oneself. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
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The act of abstaining or refraining (from).
abstention from alcohol
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The act of declining to vote on a particular issue.
There were five abstentions in the vote.
Origin
First attested in 1521. Borrowed from French abstention, from Late Latin abstēntiō from Latin abstinēō (“withhold, to abstain”)
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)