refrainern.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VII f. lvi These .ii. persons were euer cohibetors and refreiners of the kinges wilfull skope.

1600 S. Rowlands Letting of Humors Blood Satyre v. sig. E5 This is Contempt, that's euery ones disdayner The strife pursuer, and the peace refrayner Hates thunderbolt, damn'd Murders larum-bell.

1640 in J. Nicholson Kirkcudbright Minute Bk. (1855) 92 For doeing of executione contra onie persone quhatsumever, who shall be refranares or remise in peyment of what is dew.

1584 E. Paget tr. J. Calvin Harmonie vpon Three Euangelists 11 Hee shall neither drinke wine nor strong drinke, is not so to bee vnderstoode, as though it were an especial vertue of Iohn, to be a refrayner from wine.

1830 Times 30 Aug. 7/2 The Common Councilmen, those virtuous refrainers from jobs and good dinners, were all equally remiss and neglectful of their duty.

1897 Bristol Times & Mirror 4 Oct. 5/5 The hotel-keeper and the publican have, as it is, no easy duty to perform is order to keep their establishments above the suspicion of the police and the total refrainer or abstainer.

1900 Philos. Rev. 9 366 Instead of the denouncer of mirth as vulgar or wicked we have the refrainer from laughter, the non-laugher pure and simple.

1944 Berkshire Evening Eagle (Pittsfield, Mass.) 3 Oct. 11/1 It has always seemed to me that there was no virtue involved in refraining from these so-called amusements unless the refrainer had an all-possessing desire to engage in them, in which case he deserved credit for resisting temptation.

2002 T. Bouricius in S. Hill Fixing Elections xi. 219 Most refrainers consciously choose not to vote.