Etymology of the English word lenient
the English word
lenientderived from the Obsolete French word
lenientderived from the Latin word
leniensderived from the Latin word
lenire (mitigate, moderate; alleviate; mollify; explain away, gloss over)
derived from the Latin word
lenis (gentle, kind, light)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*le-Date
The earliest known usage of lenient in English dates from the 17th century.
Derivations in English
leniencyUsage
Word found in Modern English
