Lenten

Or lent·en

[len-tn]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or suitable for Lent.

2. suggesting Lent, as in austerity, frugality, or rigorousness; meager.

lenten

/ ˈlɛntən /

adjective

1. (often capital) of or relating to Lent

2. archaic,  spare, plain, or meagre

   lenten fare

3. archaic,  cold, austere, or sombre

   a lenten lover

Word History and Origins

Origin of Lenten¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English lente(n) “spring, springtime, Lent,” noun use of Old English noun and adjective lengten, læncgten, lencten “spring, springtime, Lent; of springtime, Lenten”; later taken as an adjective ending in -en; Lent, -en ²

Example Sentences

Last year’s leaves should be removed from lenten roses to give the best display of new foliage and blooms.

From Washington Post

As it happens, I was already on my annual lenten social media sabbatical when The Cambridge Analytica news broke.

From Salon

The small garden packs quite a lot in its small space, with pink winter daphne, lenten rose and witch hazel blooming.

From Washington Post

In Greece there is even a lenten version made with vegetable pulp.

From New York Times

Thus the supposed death more frequently occurred at the beginning of spring, and was mourned for a lenten period of forty days, which the vernal equinox brought to a close.

From Project Gutenberg