abstener

to abstain

verb ahb-steh-NEHR Rare

Origin: From Latin abstinere ('to hold back').

Also means

to refrain

Usage Note

Abstener is almost always used reflexively as abstenerse ('to abstain' or 'to refrain from'): me abstengo de votar ('I abstain from voting'). The non-reflexive form is rare. It is an irregular verb conjugated like tener: me abstengo, te abstienes, se abstiene…. In political contexts it means to abstain in a vote; in everyday use it means to refrain from an action.

Examples

"Tres delegados decidieron abstenerse en la votación."

Natural Translation

Three delegates decided to abstain in the vote.

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