abstain: [14] The literal meaning of this word’s ultimate source, Latin abstinēre, was ‘hold or keep away’, and hence ‘withhold’ (the root verb, tenēre, produced many other derivatives in English, such as contain, maintain, obtain, and retain, as well as tenacious, tenant, tenement, tenet, tenor, and tenure).
That is how it was used when it was first introduced into English (via Old French abstenir), and it was not until the 16th century that it began to be used more specifically for refraining from pleasurable activities, particularly the drinking of alcohol. The past participial stem of the Latin verb, abstent-, gave us abstention, while the present participial stem, abstinent-, produced abstinent and abstinence.
There is no connection, incidentally, with the semantically similar abstemious, which comes from a Latin word for alcoholic drink, tēmōtum.
abstain (v.)
late 14c., "to withhold oneself," from Old French abstenir (14c.), earlier astenir (13c.) "hold (oneself) back, refrain, abstain (from), practice abstinence," from Latin abstinere "withhold, keep back, keep off," from ab(s)- "from, away from" (see ab-) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Specifically of liquor, late 14c. Of voting, 1796. Related: Abstained; abstaining.
中文解释
1. abs- + -tain.2. => keep away, keep off.
实用例句
1. They say it would be political suicide for the party to abstain.
他们说这个政党弃权无异于自毁政治前程。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Abstain from sex or use condoms.
禁绝性事或使用安全套。
来自柯林斯例句
3. Do you drink alcohol, smoke, or abstain?
你喝酒抽烟吗，还是烟酒不沾？
来自柯林斯例句
4. His doctor ordered him to abstain from beer and wine.
