abstenir
to abstain
verb ahbs-teh-NEER Rare
Origin: From Latin abstinere (to hold back)
Usage Note
Abstenir is a non-standard infinitive; the canonical RAE verb is the reflexive abstenerse (me abstengo de votar = 'I abstain from voting'), conjugated like tener. Use abstenerse in standard Spanish.
Examples
"Decidió abstener su voto en la reunión."
Natural Translation
He decided to abstain his vote at the meeting.
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