abstention
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /əbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/
  • (America) IPA: /æbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/, /əbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/, /æbˈstɛn.t͡ʃn̩/, /əbˈstɛn.t͡ʃn̩/
Noun

abstention

  1. (obsolete) The act of restraining oneself. [Attested from the early 16th century until the med 17th century.]
  2. The act of abstaining; a holding aloof; refraining from. [First attested in the early 17th century.]
  3. The act of declining to vote on a particular issue. [First attested in the late 19th century.]
  4. Non-participation in the political world; as a country avoiding international affairs.
Translations


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