Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ABSTAIN
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pronounce
ABSTAIN:
Say it "ub STAIN."
Or, if you prefer, "ab STAIN."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
As we've noticed before, tenere is Latin for "to hold," and so whenever you see an English word with ten or tain in it, it's a good bet that the word involves holding, literally or figuratively.
For example, to have a r_ten__ve memory is to hold onto everything you learn.
And to be ten______ is to keep a firm, strong hold on something, like your goals.
And to abstain from things? That's to hold them away from yourself. To say "no, thanks" to them, even though you'd enjoy indulging in them.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
"Abstain" has Latin bits that mean "to hold (something) away (from yourself)."
If you abstain from something, you avoid it or stop yourself from doing it or having it, even though you'd like to.
And, when you're allowed to vote but you decide not to, you're abstaining. In other words, to abstain is to decide to not cast your vote.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Verb, the intransitive kind: "During Ramadan, he abstains from food and drinks until sunset."
Other forms:
Abstained, abstaining, abstainer(s).
The adjective "abstinent" and the noun "abstinence" usually refer to abstaining from sex, but they can also refer to abstaining from drugs or alcohol.
The noun "abstention" is usually the act of not voting. But it can also be the act of not indulging in things, like alcohol.
Lastly, you might wonder if the adjective "abstemious" (meaning "modest, restrained, not self-indulgent") is based on the verb "abstain." But, nope. While the "abs-" in both words means "off or away," the main Latin bit inside "abstemious" is temetum, meaning "a strong drink" (while the main Latin bit inside "abstain" is tenere, "to hold").
how to use it:
"Abstain" is a common word.
We talk about people abstaining from things, or abstaining from doing things: abstaining from violence or profanity, abstaining from drugs or alcohol, abstaining from caffeine or red meat, abstaining from getting into petty disagreements online, abstaining from giving aggressive drivers a rude hand gesture.
If the context is clear, we can drop the word "from" and just talk about people abstaining. "She used to have one or two glasses of wine each night, but now she abstains." And if we're talking about people abstaining from sex, we can be polite by implying it instead of saying it: "They've decided to abstain until marriage."
Generally, abstaining from something is a personal choice you make, for your own good, that requires some self-control. So, you wouldn't pick the word "abstain" to talk about following rules that apply to everyone. "Refrain" is better for that: you "refrain" from feeding the ducks, you "refrain" from flash photography at the ballet, and you "refrain" from answering your phone during the movie. You can certainly "refrain" from violence, drinking alcohol, and consuming red meat and all that--but to emphasize the self-control you're exerting to do so, pick "abstain" instead.
As you can see, "abstain" is formal. It's a serious, sophisticated kind of word, with a professional tone. So it can be funny if you drop it into some context that it really doesn't belong in. Here's a gang of vampires:
examples:
"I remember reading about Pythagoras around this time, and finding some of his ideas curiously appealing—wearing white garments, for instance, or abstaining from foods which have a soul."
— Donna Tartt, The Secret History, 1992
"Despite popular misconceptions, it's entirely possible to drop weight while abstaining from cigarettes, drugs or alcohol, especially with an addiction expert to guide you."
— Susan Shapiro, Salon, 1 January 2016
has this page helped you understand "abstain"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "abstain" without saying "pass up" or "refrain from."
try it out:
In Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books, some of the characters live by a philosophy called the Way of Leaf. This involves abstaining from eating meat, from carrying weapons, and from committing violence of any kind, even in self-defense:
"The leaf lives its appointed time, and does not struggle against the wind that carries it away. The leaf does no harm, and finally falls to nourish new leaves. So it should be with all men. And women."
Talk about why you would or wouldn't want to follow the Way of the Leaf. What would be easy to abstain from, and what would be hard to abstain from?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game for this month is "Provocative Verbs."
Check out the headline below. Originally, it included some highly emotional verb, like "bushwhack," "agonize," or "soar." But I've swapped it out for an emotionless one.
Try to restore the strong feelings that the headline originally evoked by choosing your own highly emotional verb to swap back in. For example, instead of "St. Jude Keeps Billions While Many of Its Families Use Their Savings," you might come up with "St. Jude Hoards Billions While Many of Its Families Drain Their Savings," the original provocative headline from ProPublica.
Scroll all the way down to see the original headline. You might think of the same verbs as the original writers did, or yours might be even spicier.
Try this one today:
From the Associated Press: "At an extraordinary Olympics, acts of kindness happen."
review this word:
A. OFFER.
B. INDULGE.
C. SUMMARIZE.
2.
According to the Associated Press, Snoop Dogg and B.o.B once _____ on stage during a panel discussion, whereas several other songwriters abstained ("at least on stage").
A. smoked a blunt
B. called out hypocrisy
C. improvised a new song
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
As we've noticed before, tenere is Latin for "to hold," and so whenever you see an English word with ten or tain in it, it's a good bet that the word involves holding, literally or figuratively.
"Abstain" has Latin bits that mean "to hold (something) away (from yourself)."
Part of speech:
"Abstain" is a common word.
"I remember reading about Pythagoras around this time, and finding some of his ideas curiously appealing—wearing white garments, for instance, or abstaining from foods which have a soul."
Explain the meaning of "abstain" without saying "pass up" or "refrain from."
In Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books, some of the characters live by a philosophy called the Way of Leaf. This involves abstaining from eating meat, from carrying weapons, and from committing violence of any kind, even in self-defense:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |