abstinent

See also: Abstinent

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈæb.stɪ.nn̩t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈæb.stə.nn̩t/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Etymology 1

First attested in the late 14th century as Middle English abstinent, abstynent, from Old French abstinent, from Latin abstinēns, present participle of abstineō. See abstain.

Adjective

abstinent (comparative more abstinent, superlative most abstinent)

1. Refraining from indulgence, especially from the indulgence of appetite. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]

   Synonyms: abstemious, continent, temperate; see also Thesaurus:abstemious

   • c. 1612–1615?, John Fletcher, Francis Beaumont, revised by Philip Massinger, “Loves Cure or, The Martial Maid”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     Be abstinent; shew not the corruption of thy generation: he that feeds shall die

Derived terms

• abstinently
• nonabstinent

Translations

refraining from indulgence

• Armenian: ժուժկալ (hy) (žužkal)
• Bulgarian: въздържан (bg) (vǎzdǎržan), умерен (bg) (umeren)
• Catalan: abstinent (ca)
• Dutch: zich onthoudend, matig (nl), bescheiden (nl), sober (nl)
• Finnish: pidättyväinen (fi)
• German: abstinent (de) (mostly when referring to alcohol or smoking), enthaltsam (de) (sexually abstinent, celibate)
• Greek: εγκρατής (el) m or f (egkratís), λιτοδίαιτος (el) m (litodíaitos), νηστευτής (el) m (nisteftís)
• Hungarian: absztinens (hu)
• Japanese: 禁欲 (ja) (kinyoku)
• Latin: abstinax
• Latvian: atturēties
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: abstinent (no), avholdende

• Polish: wstrzemięźliwy (pl)
• Portuguese: abstinente (pt)
• Spanish: abstinente (es)
• Sudovian: aulaikingas

Etymology 2

From Middle English abstinent (adjective form).

Noun

abstinent (plural abstinents)

1. One who abstains; a faster. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
2. Alternative letter-case form of Abstinent

Derived terms

• abstinential
• fapstinent

Related terms

• abstinence
• abstinency

Translations

one who abstains

• Dutch: abstinent (nl) m, onthouder (nl) m
• Finnish: pidättyjä, paastoaja
• German: Abstinenzler (de) m (often pejorative)
• Hungarian: absztinens (hu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: avholdsmann m (alcohol), avholdskvinne m or f (alcohol, female), avholdsbolt m (alcohol)

• Polish: abstynent (pl) m pers (often associated with alcohol)
• Portuguese: abstinente (pt) m or f

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [əps.tiˈnen]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [əps.tiˈnent]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [aps.tiˈnent]

Adjective

abstinent m or f (masculine and feminine plural abstinents)

1. abstinent

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈapstɪnɛnt]
• Hyphenation: ab‧s‧ti‧nent

Noun

abstinent m anim (female equivalent abstinentka)

1. teetotaler (person who completely abstains from alcohol)

   Antonym: pijan

Declension

Declension of abstinent (hard masculine animate)

	singular	plural
nominative	abstinent	abstinenti
genitive	abstinenta	abstinentů
dative	abstinentovi, abstinentu	abstinentům
accusative	abstinenta	abstinenty
vocative	abstinente	abstinenti
locative	abstinentovi, abstinentu	abstinentech
instrumental	abstinentem	abstinenty

Related terms

• See tenor

Further reading

• “abstinent”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “abstinent”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “abstinent”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French abstinent, from Old French abstinent, borrowed from Latin abstinentem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ap.sti.nɑ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

abstinent (feminine abstinente, masculine plural abstinents, feminine plural abstinentes)

1. abstinent, teetotal

   Synonym: abstème

Noun

abstinent m (plural abstinents, feminine abstinente)

1. abstinent, teetotaler / teetotaller

   Synonyms: abstème, néphaliste

Related terms

• abstinence
• abstenir

Further reading

• “abstinent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /apstiˈnɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

abstinent (strong nominative masculine singular abstinenter, not comparable)

1. abstinent, teetotal

Declension

Positive forms of abstinent (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist abstinent	sie ist abstinent	es ist abstinent	sie sind abstinent
strong declension (without article)	nominative	abstinenter	abstinente	abstinentes	abstinente
	genitive	abstinenten	abstinenter	abstinenten	abstinenter
	dative	abstinentem	abstinenter	abstinentem	abstinenten
	accusative	abstinenten	abstinente	abstinentes	abstinente
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der abstinente	die abstinente	das abstinente	die abstinenten
	genitive	des abstinenten	der abstinenten	des abstinenten	der abstinenten
	dative	dem abstinenten	der abstinenten	dem abstinenten	den abstinenten
	accusative	den abstinenten	die abstinente	das abstinente	die abstinenten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein abstinenter	eine abstinente	ein abstinentes	(keine) abstinenten
	genitive	eines abstinenten	einer abstinenten	eines abstinenten	(keiner) abstinenten
	dative	einem abstinenten	einer abstinenten	einem abstinenten	(keinen) abstinenten
	accusative	einen abstinenten	eine abstinente	ein abstinentes	(keine) abstinenten

Related terms

• Abstinenz
• Abstinenzler

Further reading

• “abstinent” in Duden online
• “abstinent” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Kashubian

Etymology

Borrowed from Polish abstynent.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /apˈsti.nɛnt/
• Rhymes: -inɛnt
• Syllabification: ab‧sti‧nent

Noun

abstinent m pers (female equivalent abstinentka)

1. teetotaler (someone who does not drink alcohol)
2. abstinent (someone who refrains from something)

Declension

Declension of abstinent

	singular	plural
nominative	abstinent	abstinencë
genitive	abstinenta	abstinentów
dative	abstinentowi	abstinentóm
accusative	abstinenta	abstinentów
instrumental	abstinentã	abstinentama
locative	abstinence	abstinentach
vocative	abstinent/abstinence	abstinencë

Further reading

• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “abstynent”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[1]
• “abstinent”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Latin

Verb

abstinent

1. third-person plural present active indicative of abstineō

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French abstinent.

Adjective

abstinent m (feminine singular abstinente, masculine plural abstinents, feminine plural abstinentes)

1. abstinent

Descendants

• French: abstinent

Norwegian Bokmål

FWOTD – 19 November 2021

Etymology

From Latin abstinēns (“abstraining, abstinent”), present participle of abstineō (“I withhold”), from both ab- (“from, away from, off”), ab (“from, away from, on, in”), from Proto-Italic *ab, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó (“off, away”) + and from teneō (“to hold, have, grasp”), from Proto-Italic *tenēō (“to hold”), from Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to stretch, extend”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /abstɪˈnɛnt/, /apstɪˈnɛnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛnt
• Hyphenation: ab‧sti‧nent

Adjective

abstinent (neuter singular abstinent, definite singular and plural abstinente, comparative mer abstinent, superlative mest abstinent)

1. (literary) abstinent or abstaining (refraining from indulgence)

   Synonym: avholdende

   en abstinent heroinist

   an abstinent heroin addict

   • 1898, Samtiden:

     den abstinente muhamedaner

     the abstinent Muhammadan

   • 1974 October 11, Aftenposten, page 3:

     han virket ikke som noen abstinent … Alkoholen hadde dessverre sitt tak i ham

     he did not seem to be abstinent… Alcohol unfortunately had its hold on him

2. experiencing withdrawal or withdrawal symptoms

   abstinente spedbarn ― abstinent infants (babies born with neonatal withdrawal)

   • 2008 March 19, Aftenposten:

     [NN] peker på at [heroin]tørken gjør heroinmisbrukerne desperate og abstinente

     [NN] points out that the [heroin] drought makes heroin addicts desperate and abstinent

   • 2012 November 23, osloby.no:

     [klager på politiet] fra svært abstinente personer som … politiet hindrer … i å kjøpe heroin

     [complaints to the police] from very abstinent people who ... the police prevent ... from buying heroin

Related terms

• abstinens (“abstinence”)
• abstinenssymptom (“withdrawal symptom”)
• abstinere (“abstain”)

References

• “abstinent” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “abstinent” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “abstinent” in Store norske leksikon

Old French

Alternative forms

• abstenent

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin abstinens, abstinentem.

Adjective

abstinent m (oblique and nominative feminine singular abstinent or abstinente)

1. abstinent

Declension

	Case	masculine	feminine	neuter
singular	subject	abstinens	abstinente	abstinent
	oblique	abstinent			abstinente	abstinent
plural	subject	abstinent	abstinentes		abstinent
	oblique	abstinents			abstinentes	abstinent

Descendants

• → Middle English: abstinent
  • English: abstinent
• Middle French: abstinent
  • French: abstinent

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French abstinent.

Noun

abstinent m (plural abstinenți, feminine equivalent abstinentă)

1. abstinent

Declension

Declension of abstinent

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	abstinent	abstinentul		abstinenti	abstinentii
genitive-dative	abstinent	abstinentului		abstinenti	abstinentilor
vocative	abstinentule			abstinentilor