lenis
[ lee-nis, ley- ]
/ ˈli nɪs, ˈleɪ- /
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adjective
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, and zh) are lenis in English, as compared with (p, t, k, ch, f, th, s, and sh), which are fortis.Compare fortis (def. 1).
noun, plural le·nes [lee-neez, ley-]. /ˈli niz, ˈleɪ-/.
a lenis consonant.
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Origin of lenis
1925–30; <Latin: soft, mild, gentle
Words nearby lenis
Leningrad, Leninism, Leninist, Lenin Peak, Leninsk-Kuznetski, lenis, lenite, lenitic, lenition, lenitive, lenity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for lenis
British Dictionary definitions for lenis
lenis
/ (ˈliːnɪs) phonetics /
adjective
(of a consonant) articulated with weak muscular tension
noun plural lenes (ˈliːniːz)
a consonant, such as English b or v, pronounced with weak muscular force
Compare fortis
Word Origin for lenis
C19: from Latin: gentle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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