abstinence
French, noun/ap.sti.nɑ̃s/
abstinence is spelled A-B-S-T-I-N-E-N-C-E (10 letters) and appears 1.5 times per million words in written French, the 24,887th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Abstinence is a French feminine noun meaning “abstinence (act or practice of abstaining)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Action de s’abstenir”.
What does abstinence mean in English?
noun
- 1
feminineabstinence (act or practice of abstaining)
- 2
feminineabstinence (specifically act or practice of abstaining from alcohol)
- 3
feminineabstinence (specifically act or practice of abstaining from sexual relations)
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Action de s’abstenir. 2. Action de s'abstenir du boire et du manger. 3. Abstention de relations sexuelles. 4. Privations ordonnées par l’Église.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of abstinence
- abstinences plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce abstinence?
- /ap.sti.nɑ̃s/
- \ap.sti.nɑ̃s\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to abstinence
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is abstinence in French?
abstinence appears 1.5 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).