The definition of abstinence is when you don’t have sex. Outercourse is other sexual activities besides vaginal sex. Sexual abstinence and outercourse can mean different things to different people.

What does the suffix Tain mean?

-tain-, root. -tain- comes from French and ultimately from Latin, where it has the meaning “hold. … This meaning is found in such words as: abstain, attain, contain, detain, entertain, maintain, obtain, pertain, rein, retain, retinue, sustain.

What is the active verb of abstinence?

verb. ab·​stain | \ əb-ˈstān , ab- \ abstained; abstaining; abstains.