English
lenient
Lenient comes from Latin lēniēns ‘softening’, from lēnis ‘soft’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leh₁- ‘lazy, slow’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leh₁-‘lazy, slow’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēnis‘soft, mild’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēnis‘soft’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēnīre‘to soften, soothe’next step skipped: Latin lēniō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēniēns‘softening’present participle of lēnīre
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600lénient
- Englishearliest quotation 1847lenient
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leh₁-‘lazy, slow’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēnis‘soft, mild’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēnis‘soft’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēnīre‘to soften, soothe’next step skipped: Latin lēniō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CElēniēns‘softening’present participle of lēnīre
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600lénient
- Englishearliest quotation 1847lenient
Earliest quotation: 1847, Currer Bell pseudonym; Charlotte Brontë, London: Smith: “But in other points, as well as this, I…”
Formed from -i- + -ent
Linked words
through Latin lēnis ‘soft’
Today it means
adj Lax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leh₁- / lenient