Etymograph

English

abstain

Abstain comes from Middle English absteynen ‘to avoid, stay away from, refrain from…’, from Latin abstineō ‘to hold oneself back’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-‘to stretch, draw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō‘to hold’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō‘to hold’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEabstineō‘to hold oneself back’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400astenir
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500absteynen‘to avoid, stay away from, refrain from partaking of’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1597abstain

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-‘to stretch, draw’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō‘to hold’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō‘to hold’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEabstineō‘to hold oneself back’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400astenir
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500absteynen‘to avoid, stay away from, refrain from partaking of’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1597abstain

Earliest quotation: 1597, Shakespeare, Richard II: “Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt?”

first attested First attested around 1380 (as stated in the etymology)

The story

First attested around 1380.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, draw’

tight, tone, ton, tune, maintenance, entertainment, tender, obtain, tonic, tendon, pertinent, tenacious, pristine, countenance, tetanus, tantra, retentive, tendinitis, hypotenuse, maintainer, 63 more

through Proto-Italic *tenēō ‘to hold’

container, incontinent, 19 more

through Latin teneō ‘to hold’

content, continue, tennis, continuous, detention, contain, continent, retention, tenant, retain, tenor, continuum, sustain, tenacity, rein, tenet, tenement, sustenance, incontinence, detain, retinue, pertain, tenable, continence, 21 more

through Latin abstineō ‘to hold oneself back’

abstinence, abstention, abstinent, 1 more

Today it means

verb Keep or withhold oneself.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ten- / abstain

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