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Synonyms
ab·stain (ăb-stāń, əb-)

[Middle English absteinen, to avoid, from Old French abstenir, from Latin abstinēre, to hold back, abs-, ab-, away; see ab–1, + tenēre, to hold.]

intransitive verb: -stained, -stain·ing, -stains. 

  1. To refrain from something by one's own choice: abstain from traditional political rhetoric. See synonyms at refrain1
  2. To refrain from voting: Forty senators voted in favor of the bill, 45 voted against it, and 15 abstained.

derivatives

ab·staińer
noun