English
abstinency
Abstinency comes from Latin abstinens ‘abstaining’, from teneō ‘to hold, have’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-1‘to stretch, extend’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tn̥eh₁yéti1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēō1‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō1‘to hold, have’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabstineō1‘to abstain’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabstinens1‘abstaining’
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabstinentia2
- Englishtodayabstinency2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin abstinentia
- 2 Wiktionary, English abstinency
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ten-Wiktionary, Latin abstinentia‘to stretch, extend’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tn̥eh₁yétiWiktionary, Latin abstinentiareconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tenēōWiktionary, Latin abstinentia‘to hold’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneōWiktionary, Latin abstinentia‘to hold, have’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabstineōWiktionary, Latin abstinentia‘to abstain’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabstinensWiktionary, Latin abstinentia‘abstaining’
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabstinentiaWiktionary, English abstinency
- EnglishtodayabstinencyWiktionary, English abstinency
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’
tight, entertainment, ton, tone, obtain, maintenance, tune, tender, tonic, tendon, tenacious, tetanus, pertinent, pristine, countenance, tantra, maintainer, hypotenuse, tendinitis, retentive, 64 more
through Proto-Italic *tenēō ‘to hold’
container, incontinent, 20 more
through Latin teneō ‘to hold, have’
content, continue, contain, tennis, retain, continuous, detention, sustain, tenant, retention, continent, tenor, rein, continuum, detain, tenacity, pertain, tenet, sustenance, tenement, retinue, incontinence, tenable, continence, 22 more
through Latin abstineō ‘to abstain’
Today it means
noun Synonym of abstinence.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “abstinency”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin abstinentia. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ten- / abstinency