verb /əbˈsteɪn/
a) Refrain from (something); hold ones self aloof; to forbear or keep from doing, especially an indulgence of the passions or appetites; with from.
, Not a few abstained from voting. -
b) To shun voluntarily.
, Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt? - Shakespeare, Richard II, II-i
See Also: abstinence
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