astenere

to abstain

verb ahs-teh-NEH-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin abstinere (to hold back), from abs- + tenere (to hold).

Also means

to refrain

Usage Note

Astenere is almost always used reflexively as astenersi (to abstain, to refrain): mi astengo dal votare (I abstain from voting), astenersi dal fumo (to refrain from smoking). The non-reflexive form is rare. It is conjugated like tenere (irregular) and takes essere when reflexive.

Examples

"Ha deciso di astenersi dal voto."

Natural Translation

He decided to abstain from the vote.

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