temperance
n. uncountablen. the habit of controlling your actions and desires, especially by not drinking alcohol. It is about staying calm and not doing too much of any one thing.
n. moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, or self-indulgence. Often refers specifically to the practice of abstaining from alcoholic beverages.
He practiced temperance in all his daily habits.
The local museum features a collection of posters from the historical temperance movement that campaigned against alcohol.
While the philosopher advocated for temperance in political discourse, his contemporaries often found his own essays to be surprisingly sharp and unyielding.
From Anglo-Norman temperance, from Latin temperantia (“moderation, sobriety, discretion, self-control”), from temperans, present participle of temperare (“to moderate”). See temper. English equivalent temper + -ance.
Often used in historical contexts or when discussing moral philosophy.