lent
[ lent ]
/ lɛnt /
verb
simple past tense and past participle of lend.
Words nearby lent
lens turret, lens vesicle, lensboard, lensectomy, lensman, lent, lent lily, lent term, lentamente, lentando, lenten
OTHER WORDS FROM lent
un·lent, adjectivewell-lent, adjectiveDefinition for lent (2 of 4)
Lent
[ lent ]
/ lɛnt /
noun
(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.
Origin of Lent
before 1000; Middle English lente(n), Old English lencten, lengten spring, Lent, literally, lengthening (of daylight hours); cognate with Dutch lente, German Lenz spring; see Lenten
OTHER WORDS FROM Lent
post-Lent, adjectiveDefinition for lent (3 of 4)
lend
[ lend ]
/ lɛnd /
verb (used with object), lent, lend·ing.
to grant the use of (something) on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
to give (money) on condition that it is returned and that interest is paid for its temporary use.
to give or contribute obligingly or helpfully: to lend one's aid to a cause.
to adapt (oneself or itself) to something: The building should lend itself to inexpensive remodeling.
to furnish or impart: Distance lends enchantment to the view.
verb (used without object), lent, lend·ing.
to make a loan.
Origin of lend
before 900; Middle English lenden, variant (orig. past tense) of lenen, Old English lǣnan (cognate with Dutch lenen, German lehnen, Old Norse lāna), derivative of lǣn loan; cognate with German Lehnen, Old Norse lān. See loan1
OTHER WORDS FROM lend
lend·er, nounin·ter·lend, verb, in·ter·lent, in·ter·lend·ing.o·ver·lend, verb, o·ver·lent, o·ver·lend·ing.re·lend, verb (used with object), re·lent, re·lend·ing.Definition for lent (4 of 4)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for lent
British Dictionary definitions for lent (1 of 3)
British Dictionary definitions for lent (2 of 3)
Lent
/ (lɛnt) /
noun
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
(modifier) falling within or associated with the season before EasterLent observance
(plural) (at Cambridge University) Lent term boat races
Word Origin for Lent
Old English lencten, lengten spring, literally: lengthening (of hours of daylight)
British Dictionary definitions for lent (3 of 3)
lend
/ (lɛnd) /
verb lends, lending or lent (lɛnt)
Derived forms of lend
lender, nounWord Origin for lend
C15 lende (originally the past tense), from Old English lǣnan, from lǣn loan 1; related to Icelandic lāna, Old High German lēhanōn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Culture definitions for lent
Lent
In Christianity, a time of fasting and repentance in the spring, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending several weeks later on Easter.
notes for Lent
To “give something up for Lent” is to abandon a pleasurable habit as an act of devotion and self-discipline.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.