abstemious Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. adjective sparing in consumption of especially food and drink
    • the pleasures of the table, never of much consequence to one naturally abstemious"- John Galsworthy
  2. adjective satellite marked by temperance in indulgence
    light.
    • abstemious with the use of adverbs
    • a light eater
    • a light smoker
    • ate a light supper

WordNet

Ab*ste"mi*ous adjective
Etymology
L. abstemius; ab, abs + root of temetum intoxicating drink.
Definitions
  1. Abstaining from wine. Orig. Latin sense.
    Under his special eye Abstemious I grew up and thrived amain. Milton.
  2. Sparing in diet; refraining from a free use of food and strong drinks; temperate; abstinent; sparing in the indulgence of the appetite or passions.
    Instances of longevity are chiefly among the abstemious. Arbuthnot.
  3. Sparingly used; used with temperance or moderation; as, an abstemious diet. Gibbon.
  4. Marked by, or spent in, abstinence; as, an abstemious life. "One abstemious day." Pope.
  5. Promotive of abstemiousness. R.
    Such is the virtue of the abstemious well. Dryden.

Webster 1913