English word abstention comes from French abstention (Abstention.)

Detailed word origin of abstention

Dictionary entry	Language	Definition
abstention	French (fra)	Abstention.
abstention	English (eng)	(obsolete) The act of restraining oneself. [Attested from the early 16th century until the med 17th century.]. Non-participation in the political world; as a country avoiding international affairs.. The act of abstaining; a holding aloof; refraining from. [First attested in the early 17th century.]. The act of declining to vote on a particular issue. [First attested in the late 19th century.].