abstemious

[ ab-stee-mee-uhs ]
/ æbˈsti mi əs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR abstemious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

sparing or moderate in eating and drinking; temperate in diet.
characterized by abstinence: an abstemious life.
sparing: an abstemious diet.

Origin of abstemious

1615–25; < Latin abstēmius, equivalent to abs- abs- + tēm- (base of tēmētum intoxicating drink) + -ius -ious

OTHER WORDS FROM abstemious

Words nearby abstemious

absorptive, absorptivity, absquatulate, abstain, abstainer, abstemious, abstention, abstentionism, abstergent, abstersive, abstinence

Example sentences from the Web for abstemiously

  • He ate on, rapidly but abstemiously, and finished before Mr. Bylash, who had had twenty minutes' start of him.

    Queed |Henry Sydnor Harrison

British Dictionary definitions for abstemiously

abstemious
/ (əbˈstiːmɪəs) /

adjective

moderate or sparing, esp in the consumption of alcohol or food; temperate

Derived forms of abstemious

abstemiously, adverb abstemiousness, noun

Word Origin for abstemious

C17: from Latin abstēmius, from abs- ab- 1 + tēm-, from tēmētum intoxicating drink