Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Abstain

Abstain ({not transcribed}) , intransitive verb

[Old English absteynen, abstenen, Old French astenir, abstenir, French abstenir, from Latin abstinere, abstentum, transitive verb & v. i., to keep from; ab, abs + tenere to hold. See Tenable.]

To hold one's self aloof; to forbear or refrain voluntarily, and especially from an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from.
Not a few abstained from voting. — Macaulay
Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt? — Shakespeare

Abstain , transitive verb

To hinder; to withhold.
Whether he abstain men from marrying. — Milton