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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