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abstemious

adj
/æbˈstiː.mɪ.əs/UK/æbˈsti.mi.əs/US

Etymology

From Latin abstēmius (“abstaining from wine”); from ab, abs (“from”) + tēmus, a root of tēmētum (“intoxicating drink, especially strong mead or wine”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *temH- (“dark (referring to the colour of wine)”)) + -ous.

  1. derived from *temH-✻
  2. derived from abstēmius

Definitions

  1. Refraining from freely consuming food or strong drink

    Refraining from freely consuming food or strong drink; sparing in diet; abstinent, temperate.

    • Under his ſpecial eie / Abſtemious I [Samson] grew up and thriv'd amain; / He led me on to mightieſt deeds / Above the nerve of mortal arm / Againſt the uncircumciſ'd, our enemies.

  2. Sparing in the indulgence of the appetite or passions.

    • The Ms had an abstemious sex life; in fourteen years of marriage, they had had sex exactly six times. Mrs. M desired sex and more children, but her husband refused.

  3. Sparingly used

    Sparingly used; used with temperance or moderation.

  4. ›+ 2 more definitions

    1. Marked by, or spent in, abstinence.

      • an abstemious life
      • If yet Achilles have a Friend, whoſe Care / Is bent to pleaſe him; this Requeſt forbear: / Till yonder Sun deſcend, ah let me pay / To Grief and Anguiſh one abſtemious Day.

    2. Promotive of abstemiousness.

      • But ſtranger Virtues yet in Streams we find, / Some change not only Bodies, but the Mind: / […] Clytorian Streams the love of Wine expel, / (Such is the virtue of th' abſtemious Well;) […]

The neighborhood

Derived

abstemiously, abstemiousness, nonabstemious, overabstemious, unabstemious

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for abstemious. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA