lenient \LEEN-yunt\ adjective
1 : exerting a soothing or easing influence : relieving pain or stress
2 : of mild and tolerant disposition; especially : indulgent
Examples:
The judge decided to be lenient because it was a first offense, but
warned that the defendant would not be so lucky a second time
Did you know?
"Lenient" is a word with a soothing history. It derives from the Latin
verb "lenire," meaning "to soothe" or "to soften" (itself from
"lenis," meaning "soft or mild"). The first, now archaic, sense of
"lenient" referred to something soothing that relieved pain and
stress. That meaning was shared by "lenitive," an earlier derivative
of "lenire" that was commonly used with "electuary" ("lenitive
electuary" being a medicated paste prepared with honey or another
sweet and used by veterinarians to alleviate pain in the mouth).
Linguists also borrowed "lenis" to describe speech sounds that are
softened -- for instance, the "t" sound in "gutter" is lenis. By way
of comparison, the "t" sound in "toe" is fortis.
