Etymology

lent

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Today it means: A period of the ecclesiastical year preceding Easter, traditionally involving temporary abstention from certain foods and pleasures. Full definition →

Old English lencten ← Proto-West Germanic *langatīn
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Lent · noun1

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*langatīn“spring”
  2. Old English · inherited fromlencten
  3. English todayLent

Shortened form of Lenten, from Old English lencten, from Proto-West Germanic *langatīn (“spring”), as in a season into which days lengthen as it progresses. Cognate with Alemannic German langsé, Langssi (“spring”), Bavarian longas, lòngas, longast (“spring”), Cimbrian langaz, langhes, långez (“spring”), lentz (“March”), Dutch lente (“spring”), German Lenz, Lenze (“spring”), Mòcheno langes (“spring”).

Lent · proper noun2

  1. German · derived fromLenth
  2. Dutch · derived fromvan Lent
  3. English todayLent

Two main origins: * Reduced form of Dutch van Lent, a habitational surname for someone from Lent, in Gelderland. * Perhaps an Americanized spelling of German Lenth, from a personal name related to the noun Land.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.