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

The material's versatility, strength and heat-resistant properties has lent itself to thousands of uses, from sewage pipes to life-saving medical equipment, to clothing.

From BBC

His stoic stares on screen lent themselves to so many jokes that newspapers wrote articles about it.

From BBC

That lent a velveteen innocence to the jovial wreckage “The Osbournes” created and navigated almost constantly, although there were many times when what we saw clashed against the lighthearted sonic wallpaper.

From Salon

Point being, within the pride many Black Americans took in watching the Huxtables was the validation their kids lent to peers in the audience: They were a lot like us.

From Salon

The traffic circle where Columbus long lent his presence has now been renamed the Women Who Fight roundabout, a rallying point for Indigenous, feminist and other protesters hoisting handwritten placards.

From 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.