Definition of "temperance" []

• Moderation and self-restraint, as in behavior or expression. (noun)
• Restraint in the use of or abstinence from alcoholic liquors. See Synonyms at abstinence. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It is as though you were to take a man into a cellar where there was a vast collection of what we call temperance drinks, and what the Americans call soft drinks."
• "Murrin laughed at my use of the word temperance, but then he peered at me, trying to see if I was serious or not since I didn't smile or join him in laughter, but my sunglasses hid my eyes, so he wasn't sure."
• ""Of these, then," he said, "are not they the most happy, and do they not go to the best place, who have practiced that social and civilized virtue which they call temperance and justice, and which is produced from habit and exercise, without philosophy and reflection?""