FROM THE ARCHIVETuesday, November 3, 2026
abstemious
ab-STEE-mee-us/æbˈsti.mi.əs//adjective
01 / MEANING
Restrained in eating or drinking; sparing in indulgence.
In a sentence.
- 01
The abstemious guest sampled just a little of each dessert.
- 02
Despite the lavish banquet, she remained abstemious at dinner.
Where it came from.
Abstemious comes from Latin abstēmius, ‘abstaining from wine,’ built from a word for ‘away from’ and a root connected to intoxicating drink.
Explore the sourceWhy it’s interesting.
Its original focus on wine widened into a word for moderation more generally.