lent

¹

[lent]

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of lend.

Lent

²

[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

³

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

   pestilent.

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

• unlent adjective
• well-lent adjective
• post-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

Even their selection for this tournament lent itself to scrutiny, and the fact that most of the players were part of the Ashes squad, but new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt and coach Charlotte Edwards were insistent things would be different.

From BBC

The Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing Christian organization that purports to “affirm the inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God,” has lent several of its attorneys to represent Chiles in the case.

From Salon

Denmark will also host a broader European Political Community summit on Thursday and international allies have lent support to ensure both events pass without incident.

From BBC

Zach, 27, who has lent his voice to dozens of video games and anime titles, tells Newsbeat anime "has slowly been on this track to reaching mainstream popularity".

From BBC

If the statistics that followed Friday's 5½-2½ scoreline lent weight to the belief that this was going to be Europe's year, Saturday's 6-2 demolition job has seemingly made Sunday a formality.

From BBC

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.