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Meaning of abstinence
ab•sti•nence
Pronunciation: (ab'stu-nuns), [key] — n.
- forbearance from any indulgence of appetite, esp. from the use of alcoholic beverages: total abstinence.
- any self-restraint, self-denial, or forbearance.
- the conserving of current income in order to build up capital or savings.
- the state of being without a drug, as alcohol or heroin, on which one is dependent.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.