relent

/ɹɪˈlent/rih-LENT

/ɹɪˈlɛnt/rih-LENT

Meaningto soften

Common meaning: to soften, give way

reagain; back
lentslow, pliantLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1050 · scan

‘again’ + ‘slow, pliant’ → relent

Journey through time

Latinlentus, -a, -um‘slow, pliant’
Frenchralentir
Englishrelent‘to soften, give way’ · today

re- also in: react rebel relax repel reply

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin lentus ‘slow, pliant’.

Roots

lentus, -a, -um Latin “slow, pliant”

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