verb
- to make soft or softer; to soften
- to make less severe or harsh; to mitigate or alleviate
Usage: archaic or formal
Usage: archaic or formal
noun
- plural of lenite; consonants that undergo lenition (sound softening) in phonology
Usage: linguistics
Examples
- Time and compassion lenites even the hardest hearts.
- The warm bath lenites the tension in her muscles.
- His gentle words lenites the pain of her loss.
- In Celtic languages, lenites are consonants that soften in certain grammatical contexts.
- The phonologist studied how lenites differ from their unlenited counterparts.