The story
- Latin · derived fromlēn(iō)“to soften, soothe”
- English todayleniency
From lenience + -y, from Latin lēn(iō) (“to soften, soothe”), from lēnis (“soft”).
Words from the same roots
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
leniency
Today it means: The quality of mercy or forgiveness, especially in the assignment of punishment as in a court case. Full definition →
Latin lēn(iō)