lenient

/ˈliniənt/LEE-nee-uhnt

/ˈliniənt/LEE-nee-uhnt

Meaningsoothing

Common meaning: merciful

Other meanings: not strict

lensoft, gentle, mildLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1049 · scan
ientadjective ending: doing, being

Journey through time

Latinlēnis, -e‘soft, gentle, mild’
Englishlenient‘merciful’ · today

len also in: lenitive

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin lēnis ‘soft, gentle, mild’.

Roots

lēnis, -e Latin “soft, gentle, mild”

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