Word a Day
abstemious
What does abstemious mean?
abstemious (adjective): refraining from freely consuming food or strong drink; sparing in diet; abstinent, temperate.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you use abstemious in a sentence?
- The pleasures of the table, never of much consequence to one naturally abstemious. (Princeton WordNet 3.1)
Where does abstemious come from?
From Latin abstēmius (“abstaining from wine”).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “abstemious”?
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What does “abstemious” mean?
willing to comply with the commands, orders, or instructions of those in authority; biddable
Not quite: that's what obedient means.
capable or deserving to be admitted, accepted or allowed; allowable, permissible, acceptable
Not quite: that's what admissible means.
having two or more equally applicable meanings; capable of double or multiple interpretation
Not quite: that's what equivocal means.
refraining from freely consuming food or strong drink; sparing in diet; abstinent, temperate
Right! That's what “abstemious” means.
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