temperance
[ tem-per-uh ns, tem-pruh ns ]
/ ˈtɛm pər əns, ˈtɛm prəns /
noun
moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control.
habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion, especially in the use of alcoholic liquors.
total abstinence from alcoholic liquors.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
Origin of temperance
Related formsan·ti·tem·per·ance, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for temperance
British Dictionary definitions for temperance
temperance
/ (ˈtɛmpərəns) /
noun
restraint or moderation, esp in yielding to one's appetites or desires
abstinence from alcoholic drink
Word Origin for temperance
C14: from Latin temperantia, from temperāre to regulate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for temperance
temperance
mid-14c., "self-restraint, moderation," from Anglo-French temperaunce (mid-13c.), from Latin temperantia "moderation," from temperans, present participle of temperare "to moderate" (see temper). Latin temperantia was used by Cicero to translate Greek sophrosyne "moderation." In English, temperance was used to render Latin continentia or abstinentia, specifically in reference to drinking alcohol and eating; hence by early 1800s it came to mean "abstinence from alcoholic drink."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for temperance
temperance
[ tĕm′pər-əns, tĕm′prəns ]
n.
Moderation and self-restraint, as in behavior or expression.
Restraint in the use of or abstinence from alcoholic liquors.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.