# abstention

> English word · Noun · IPA /əbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/ · frequency rank #52,126

## Definitions
1. The act of restraining oneself.
2. The act of abstaining or refraining (from).
3. The act of declining to vote on a particular issue.
4. Non-participation in the political world; as a country avoiding international affairs.

## Etymology
First attested in 1521. Borrowed from French abstention, from Late Latin abstēntiō from Latin abstinēō (“withhold, to abstain”)

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