English

Adjective

lenis ‎(not comparable)

1. (phonetics) weakly articulated (of a consonant), hence voiced; especially as compared to the others of a group of homorganic consonants.

Derived terms

• lenition

Anagrams

• liens
• lines

Latin

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *lh₁d-to.

Confer Latin lentus. Cognate to Old Church Slavonic лѣнъ ‎(lěnŭ, “lazy”), whence Russian ленивый ‎(lenivyj, “lazy”), and to Lithuanian lė́nas ‎(“slow, calm”).^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈleː.nis/

Adjective

lēnis m, f ‎(neuter lēne); third declension

1. soft, smooth, gentle
2. gradual
3. moderate, mild, calm

Inflection

Third declension.

• comparative: lenior, superlative: lenissimus

Derived terms

• spīritus lēnis

Related terms

Descendants

• English: lenis, lenient
• Italian: lene
• Romanian: lin
• Spanish: lene

Etymology 2

Inflected form of lēna ‎(“madame, procuress”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈleː.niːs/

Noun

lēnīs

1. dative plural of lēna
2. ablative plural of lēna

References

• lenis in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• lenis in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• LENIS in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “lenis”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) a gentle, subdued voice: vox lenis, suppressa, summissa
    

1. ↑ “lene” in: Alberto Nocentini, Alessandro Parenti, “l'Etimologico — Vocabolario della lingua italiana”, Le Monnier, 2010, ISBN 978-88-00-20781-2