lenis

American  

[lee-nis, ley-] / ˈli nɪs, ˈleɪ- /

adjective

1. pronounced with relatively weak muscular tension and breath pressure, resulting in weak sound effect: in stressed or unstressed position, (b, d, g, j, v, th̸, z, andzh ) are lenis in English, as compared with (p, t, k, ch, f, th, s, andsh ), which are fortis.

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noun

lenes plural

1. a lenis consonant.

lenis British  

/ ˈliːnɪs /

adjective

1. (of a consonant) articulated with weak muscular tension

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noun

1. a consonant, such as English b or v, pronounced with weak muscular force

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lenes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lenis

First recorded in 1925–30; from Latin: “soft, mild, gentle”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lenis lenes

For comparisons with Thomomys bottae lenis and contractus see accounts of those forms.

From The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah, Vol. 1 No. 1 Kansas University Publications. by Durrant, Stephen D.

The ‛ is a very distinct sound in Arabic, but is more nearly represented by the spiritus lenis than by any sound that we can produce without much special training.

From The Hindu-Arabic Numerals by Karpinski, Louis Charles

Intergradation with lenis is also shown in some specimens by the widely spreading zygomatic arches.

From The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah, Vol. 1 No. 1 Kansas University Publications. by Durrant, Stephen D.

The length of the skull is second only to that of lenis as also is the length and breadth of the rostrum relative to the basilar length.

From The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah, Vol. 1 No. 1 Kansas University Publications. by Durrant, Stephen D.

For more than sixty years, at least, this court had felt this authority—potens et lenis dominatio—in the presence of the two celebrated Chief-Justices who filled out this long service.

From Eulogy on Chief-Justice Chase Delivered by William M. Evarts before the Alumni of Dartmouth College, at Hanover by Evarts, William Maxwell

Chief exhorter of the Victoria Char lenes, Mme.

From Time Magazine Archive

How the so-called aspirates differ from their corresponding lenes has not yet been determined.

From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)

Men become under its subduing dietary influence, "lenti et lenes."

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by Fernie, William Thomas

A further peculiarity of Scottish Gaelic is that it substitutes lenes or voiceless mediae for the voiced stops, and even l, r, n sounds show a great tendency to give up the voice.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various

Both pairs were used to express the lenes medially between vowels.

From A Middle High German Primer Third Edition by Wright, Joseph