Where does “abstain” come from?
Abstain comes from Middle English absteinen, from Old French abstenir, from Latin abstineo, composed of Latin ab meaning "away" and the Proto-Indo-European root ten- meaning "to stretch or extend."
abstain (English): Keep or withhold oneself
Definitions
- Keep or withhold oneself
Ancestry of “abstain”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | absteynen | to avoid, stay away from, refrain from partaking of |
| 2 | Old French | abstenir | to abstain from; to not participate in |
| 3 | Latin | abstineō | to abstain |
| 4 | Latin | ab- | from, away, away from; off; at a distance |
| 5 | Latin | āb | from, away from, out of |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *ab | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | apó | — |