Etymograph

English

lenience

Lenience comes from Latin lēniō ‘to soften, soothe’, from lēnis ‘smooth, soft, gentle’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁- ‘lazy, slow’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leh₁-‘lazy, slow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēnis‘soft, mild’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēnis‘smooth, soft, gentle’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēniō‘to soften, soothe’
  5. Englishtodaylenience

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leh₁-‘lazy, slow’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēnis‘soft, mild’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēnis‘smooth, soft, gentle’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēniō‘to soften, soothe’
  5. Englishtodaylenience

Formed from -i- + -ence

Linked words

through Latin lēnis ‘smooth, soft, gentle’

lene, 7 more

Today it means

noun Leniency: mercy or forgiveness in the assignment of punishment.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leh₁- / lenience

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