Lent

¹

[lent]

noun

1. (in the Christian religion) an annual season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting 40 weekdays to Easter, observed by Roman Catholic, Anglican, and certain other churches.

-lent

²

1. a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, variant of -ulent.

   pestilent.

lent

³

[lent]

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of lend.

lent

¹

/ lɛnt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of lend

Lent

²

/ lɛnt /

noun

1. Christianity the period of forty weekdays lasting from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, observed as a time of penance and fasting commemorating Jesus' fasting in the wilderness

2. (modifier) falling within or associated with the season before Easter

   Lent observance

3. (plural) (at Cambridge University) Lent term boat races

Lent

1. In Christianity, a time of fasting and repentance in the spring, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending several weeks later on Easter.

To “give something up for Lent” is to abandon a pleasurable habit as an act of devotion and self-discipline.

Other Word Forms

• post-Lent adjective
• unlent adjective
• well-lent adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lent¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English leynte, Old English læncte “spring, springtime, Lent,” literally, “lengthening (of daylight hours)”; cognate with Dutch lente(n), German Lenz “spring” (only English has the ecclesiastical sense); Lenten, long ¹ ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of lent¹

Old English lencten, lengten spring, literally: lengthening (of hours of daylight)

Example Sentences

Chinese banks lent Venezuela billions of dollars, to be repaid in oil, to finance housing, telecoms and other infrastructure.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Building societies, in particular, pointed out it would also reduce the amount of money they received from savers' deposits which could then be lent out as mortgages or other loans.

Read more on BBC

He also lent his voice to a handful of video games including “Call of Duty: WWII” and was set to collaborate with Hideo Kojima on his upcoming “OD.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Epstein lent Indyke more than $7 million that was never repaid.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The state of California belatedly lent its support.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When To Use

What is Lent?

Lent is the season of fasting and penitence that precedes Easter in some branches of Christianity.It is commonly observed by abstaining from certain things.