from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Continence \Con"ti*nence\, Continency \Con"ti*nen*cy\, n. [F.
continence, L. continentia. See {Continent}, and cf.
{Countenance}.]
1. Self-restraint; self-command.
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He knew what to say; he knew also, when to leave
off, -- a continence which is practiced by few
writers. --Dryden.
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2. The restraint which a person imposes upon his desires and
passions; the act or power of refraining from indulgence
of the sexual appetite, esp. from unlawful indulgence;
sometimes, moderation in sexual indulgence.
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If they [the unmarried and widows] have not
continency, let them marry. --1 Cor. vii.
9 (Rev. Ver.
).
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Chastity is either abstinence or continence:
abstinence is that of virgins or widows; continence,
that of married persons. --Jer. Taylor.
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3. Uninterrupted course; continuity. [Obs.] --Ayliffe.
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