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Lenient

 - 3 dictionary results

le⋅ni⋅ent

  [lee-nee-uhnt, leen-yuhnt]
Use Lenient in a Sentence
–adjective
1. agreeably tolerant; permissive; indulgent: He tended to be lenient toward the children. More lenient laws encouraged greater freedom of expression.
2. Archaic. softening, soothing, or alleviative.
Origin:
1645–55; < L lēnient- (s. of lēniēns), prp. of lēnīre to soften, alleviate, soothe. See lenis, -ent

Related forms:
le⋅ni⋅ent⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Lenient
le·ni·ent   (lē'nē-ənt, lēn'yənt)   
adj.  Inclined not to be harsh or strict; merciful, generous, or indulgent: lenient parents; lenient rules.

[Obsolete French, from Latin lēniēns, lēnient-, present participle of lēnīre, to pacify, from lēnis, soft; see lē- in Indo-European roots.]
le'ni·ent·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

lenient 
1652, "relaxing, soothing," from M.Fr. lenient, from L. lenientem (nom. leniens), prp. of lenire "to soften, alleviate, mitigate, allay, calm," from lenis "mild, gentle, calm," probably from PIE base *le(i)- "to leave, yield" (cf. Lith. lenas "quiet, tranquil, tame, slow," O.C.S. lena "lazy," L. lassus "faint, weary," O.E. læt "sluggish, slow," lætan "to leave behind"). Sense of "mild, merciful" (of persons) first recorded 1787. In earlier use was lenitive, attested from 1543 of medicines, 1620 of persons.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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