abstention
noun
- action and effect of not taking part in a vote. Sometimes it's consider equal to blank vote
- to refrain
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /əbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/ / /æbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/ / /æbˈstɛn.t͡ʃn̩/
noun
Etymology: First attested in 1521. Borrowed from French abstention, from Late Latin abstēntiō from Latin abstinēō (“withhold, to abstain”)
- The act of restraining oneself.
- The act of abstaining or refraining (from).
“abstention from alcohol”
“abstention from sex”
- The act of declining to vote on a particular issue.
“There were five abstentions in the vote.”
- Non-participation in the political world; as a country avoiding international affairs.