Continency

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  continency
       n : the exercise of self constraint in sexual matters [syn: {continence}]