Word of the Day
Abstemious adj: marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol; also: reflecting such restraint
You might assume that "abstemious" and "abstain" are related since they both have meanings involving self-restraint or self-denial, but this is only partially true. Both get their start from the Latin prefix abs-, meaning "from" or "away," but "abstain" traces to abs- plus the Latin verb tenere (meaning "to hold") while "abstemious" gets it "-temious" from a suffix akin to the Latin noun temetum, meaning "intoxicating drink."
Abstemious adj: marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol; also: reflecting such restraint
You might assume that "abstemious" and "abstain" are related since they both have meanings involving self-restraint or self-denial, but this is only partially true. Both get their start from the Latin prefix abs-, meaning "from" or "away," but "abstain" traces to abs- plus the Latin verb tenere (meaning "to hold") while "abstemious" gets it "-temious" from a suffix akin to the Latin noun temetum, meaning "intoxicating drink."
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
But I do thank you for bringing it to my attention.
"Don't worry, I'm not the abstemious one tonight."