intr.v., -stained, -stain·ing, -stains.
- To refrain from something by one's own choice: abstain from traditional political rhetoric. See synonyms at refrain1.
- To refrain from voting: Forty senators voted in favor of the bill, 45 voted against it, and 15 abstained.
[Middle English absteinen, to avoid, from Old French abstenir, from Latin abstinēre, to hold back : abs-, ab-, away; see ab-1 + tenēre, to hold.]
abstainer ab·stain'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
