Refraining

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The practice of intentionally choosing not to partake in activities or behaviors
2. The decision to deliberately abstain from participating in specific actions or engagements
3. The act of deliberately avoiding taking part in an activity or behavior

Etymology: The verb "refrain" has two separate ancestors that ended up meaning very different things. One goes back to Latin "refrēnāre", "to curb or bridle," built from "frēnum," a bridle or horse's bit. Restraining a horse is a fair picture of holding oneself back from doing something, and that is the sense that gave us the modern idea of deliberately abstaining. It passed into English through Anglo-Norman and Old French as "refreynen" in Middle English. The other ancestor is a different word entirely. Old French "refraindre" meant "to break off" or "to repeat," from Latin "frangō," "break," with the prefix "re-". A sung repetition returns to the same tune, and that is how "refrain" came to mean the recurring chorus of a song. The two words merged in English spelling and meaning, which is why a singer's chorus and a person's self-restraint share a verb, even though their roots point to a broken line and a bridle.

Synonyms: abstaining, withholding, avoiding

Antonyms: indulging, engaging