Word of the Day
: November 3, 2021lenient
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adjective
LEEN-yunt
What It Means
Lenient means "not harsh, severe, or strict."
// The teacher was lenient in her grading after the holiday break.
lenient in Context
"When it comes to growing up, we're all split into two camps: those with lenient parents and those with strict parents." — Nicky Idika, PopBuzz, 8 May 2017
Did You Know?
Lenient comes from lenis, the Latin word for "soft" or "mild." It was originally applied to something soothing that relieved pain or stress; the related lenitive has the same meaning. Linguists also borrowed lenis to describe speech sounds that are softened—for instance, the "t" sound in gutter.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
