Where does “lenient” come from?

Lenient comes from Middle French lénient, from Latin leniens, present participle of lenire meaning "to soften," from Latin lenis meaning "soft," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European leh₁-.

lenient (English): Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or...

Definitions

  1. Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or...

Ancestry of “lenient”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchlénient—
2Latinlēnienssoftening
3Latinlēniōto soften, soothe
4Latinlēnissoft, smooth, gentle, moderate, mild, calm
5Proto-Indo-Europeanleh₁-soft, calm; lazy, slow

Words derived from “lenient”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European leh₁- →Every word from Latin lēnis →Every word from Latin lēniō →