Abstaining

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Choosing to avoid certain actions or indulgences intentionally
2. Deliberately deciding not to engage in an activity or consume a substance, often for personal or moral reasons
3. Voluntarily refraining from doing something, such as drinking or eating, to maintain discipline or well-being

Etymology: The Latin verb "abstinere" was built from two plain parts: "abs-", meaning "from" or "away", and "tenere", "to hold". To abstain was, literally, to hold oneself away from something. That physical picture of keeping a hand off an object is the root of the modern sense of voluntarily going without. The word reached English in the late 14th century, when Middle English borrowed it through Old French, which had already shaped it into "astenir" and "abstenir". The English forms "absteinen" and "abstenen" show the same process of settling a foreign verb into the sounds of the language. Because of that shared root, "abstain" is a close relative of "tenable", which comes from the same Latin "tenere". A tenable position is one you can hold, and abstaining is a way of holding yourself back from something.

Synonyms: refraining, withholding, forgoing, avoiding, eschewing

Antonyms: indulging, participating, engaging, embracing