Abstinence

Abstinence is essentially a keeping away, a refraining,entirely or in some degree, from anything. Specifically, as weemploy the term here, abstinence is a retrenchment in the use offood or drink. It may be a total abstaining from certain kinds offood or drink; it may be a partial abstaining from nutriment in thesense that it is observed at certain times or in certaincircumstances. When abstinence is ordinate, that is, in completeaccord with right reason, it is either a virtue (that is,an enduring good habit) or it is a virtuous act.

As a moral virtue, abstinence tends to good under aspecial aspect, and therefore is a special virtue.