Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Asceticism \As*cet"i*cism\, n.
   The condition, practice, or mode of life, of ascetics.

Source : WordNet®

asceticism
     n 1: the doctrine that through renunciation of worldly pleasures
          it is possible to achieve a high spiritual or
          intellectual state
     2: the trait of great self-denial (especially refraining from
        worldly pleasures) [syn: {austerity}, {nonindulgence}]
     3: rigorous self-denial and active self-restraint [syn: {ascesis}]