lenis

[ lee-nis, ley- ]

adjective
  1. pronounced with relatively weak muscular tension and breath pressure, resulting in weak sound effect: in stressed or unstressed position, (b, d, g, j, v, th̸, z, and zh) are lenis in English, as compared with (p, t, k, ch, f, th, s, and sh), which are fortis.: Compare fortis (def. 1).

noun,plural le·nes [lee-neez, ley-]. /ˈli niz, ˈleɪ-/.
  1. a lenis consonant.

Origin of lenis

1
First recorded in 1925–30; from Latin: “soft, mild, gentle”

Words Nearby lenis

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British Dictionary definitions for lenis

lenis

/ (ˈliːnɪs) phonetics /


adjective
  1. (of a consonant) articulated with weak muscular tension

nounplural lenes (ˈliːniːz)
  1. a consonant, such as English b or v, pronounced with weak muscular force

Origin of lenis

1
C19: from Latin: gentle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012