Definition/Meaning of temperance

• English - Noun: temperance ( plural temperances ) Habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence; moderation; as , temperance in eating and drinking; temperance in the indulgence of joy or mirth; specifically , moderation , and sometimes abstinence , in respect to using intoxicating liquors . 1877 , Arthur Conan Doyle , A Study in Scarlet…
• English - Alternative forms: temperaunce ( obsolete )
• English - Etymology: From Anglo-Norman temperaunce , from Latin temperantia ( “ moderation , sobriety , discretion , self-control ” ), from temperans , present participle of temperare ( “ to moderate ” ). See temper .