ˈkänt( ə )nən(t)s, -tənən- noun
also con·ti·nen·cy -t( ə )nənsē, -tənən-, -si
( plural continences also continencies )
Etymology: continence from Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin continentia, from continent-, continens + -ia -y; continency from Latin continentia
1. : self-restraint from yielding to impulse or desire
he knew what to say, so he knows also when to leave off, a continence which is practiced by few writers — John Dryden
2. : self-restraint in refraining from sexual intercourse
3. : the ability to retain a bodily discharge voluntarily
fecal continence