abstention

Valid in Scrabble

Pronunciation

/əbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/

See all 5 pronunciations

/əbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/ · /æbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/(US) · /əbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/(US) · /æbˈstɛn.t͡ʃn̩/(US) · /əbˈstɛn.t͡ʃn̩/(US)

Definition of abstention

4 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

noun

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noun

(countable, obsolete, uncountable)The act of restraining oneself.
(countable, uncountable)The act of abstaining or refraining (from).

“abstention from alcohol”
“abstention from sex”
(countable, uncountable)The act of declining to vote on a particular issue.

“There were five abstentions in the vote.”
(countable, uncountable)Non-participation in the political world; as a country avoiding international affairs.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

First attested in 1521. Borrowed from French abstention, from Late Latin abstēntiō from Latin abstinēō (“withhold, to abstain”)

200+ playable · top: ABSTINENT (11 pts)

3 words

13 words

36 words

65 words

82 words

1 extension · 1 back

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