# abstemious

> English word · Adjective · IPA /æbˈstiː.mɪ.əs/

## Definitions
1. Refraining from freely consuming food or strong drink; sparing in diet; abstinent, temperate.
2. Sparing in the indulgence of the appetite or passions.
3. Sparingly used; used with temperance or moderation.
4. Marked by, or spent in, abstinence.
5. Promotive of abstemiousness.

## 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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/abstemious