abstemious • \ab-ˈstē-mē-əs\ • adjective
1. marked by temperance in indulgence
2. sparing in consumption of especially food and drink
The word abstemious has appeared in six New York Times articles in the past year, including on March 6 in the obituary “Nancy Reagan, an Influential and Protective First Lady, Dies at 94″ by Lou Cannon:
Nancy Reagan, the influential and stylish wife of the 40th president of the United States who unabashedly put Ronald Reagan at the center of her life but became a political figure in her own right, died on Sunday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 94.
… As first lady, Mrs. Reagan was glamorous and controversial. The White House started serving liquor again after the abstemious Carter years. Mrs. Reagan reached out to Washington society. More sophisticated than she had been in Sacramento, Mrs. Reagan also reached out to politicians, Democrats as well as Republicans. She became friends with Millie O’Neal, wife of the House speaker, Thomas P. O’Neill, who was a political foe of President Reagan by day and a friend after hours. During one period in 1981, when Mrs. Reagan was getting “bad press,” as she recalled, Mr. O’Neill leaned across at a luncheon and said, “Don’t let it get you down.”
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