"lenis" meaning in English

See lenis in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /ˈliːnɪs/, /ˈleɪnɪs/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-lenis.wav
enPR: lē'nəs, lā'nəs Rhymes: -iːnɪs Etymology: Borrowed from Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”). Etymology templates: {{bor|en|la|lēnis||soft, smooth}} Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”) Head templates: {{en-adj|-}} lenis (not comparable)
  1. (phonetics, of a consonant) Weakly articulated, hence voiced; especially as compared to the others of a group of homorganic consonants. Tags: not-comparable Synonyms: lax Derived forms: lenition Translations (weakly articulated): séimh (Irish)
    Sense id: en-lenis-en-adj-lKcbXg8z Categories (other): Phonetics, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 2 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Irish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 81 19 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 82 18 Disambiguation of Pages with 2 entries: 73 9 9 5 4 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 73 8 9 5 4 Disambiguation of Terms with Irish translations: 83 17 Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, phonetics, phonology, sciences

Noun

IPA: /ˈliːnɪs/, /ˈleɪnɪs/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-lenis.wav Forms: lenes [plural]
enPR: lē'nəs, lā'nəs Rhymes: -iːnɪs Etymology: Borrowed from Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”). Etymology templates: {{bor|en|la|lēnis||soft, smooth}} Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”) Head templates: {{en-noun|lenes}} lenis (plural lenes)
  1. (phonetics) A lenis consonant.
    Sense id: en-lenis-en-noun-2Wkbi9-n Categories (other): Phonetics Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, phonetics, phonology, sciences

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "lēnis",
        "4": "",
        "5": "soft, smooth"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”)",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”).",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "lenis (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "fortis"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Phonetics",
          "orig": "en:Phonetics",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "81 19",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "82 18",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "73 9 9 5 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 2 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "73 8 9 5 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "83 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Irish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "lenition"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              138,
              143
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2004, Stephan Gramley, Michael Pätzold, A Survey of Modern English, Routledge, →ISBN, page 80:",
          "text": "All vowels, whether short or complex, are relatively shorter when followed by a fortis consonant and relatively longer when followed by a lenis one or, for those where this is possible, when no consonant follows (in free or unchecked syllables).",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Weakly articulated, hence voiced; especially as compared to the others of a group of homorganic consonants."
      ],
      "id": "en-lenis-en-adj-lKcbXg8z",
      "links": [
        [
          "phonetics",
          "phonetics"
        ],
        [
          "consonant",
          "consonant"
        ],
        [
          "voiced",
          "voiced"
        ],
        [
          "homorganic",
          "homorganic"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(phonetics, of a consonant) Weakly articulated, hence voiced; especially as compared to the others of a group of homorganic consonants."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "of a consonant"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "lax"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "linguistics",
        "phonetics",
        "phonology",
        "sciences"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "weakly articulated",
          "word": "séimh"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "lē'nəs"
    },
    {
      "enpr": "lā'nəs"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈliːnɪs/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈleɪnɪs/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-lenis.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-iːnɪs"
    }
  ],
  "word": "lenis"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "lēnis",
        "4": "",
        "5": "soft, smooth"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”)",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lenes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "lenes"
      },
      "expansion": "lenis (plural lenes)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Phonetics",
          "orig": "en:Phonetics",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A lenis consonant."
      ],
      "id": "en-lenis-en-noun-2Wkbi9-n",
      "links": [
        [
          "phonetics",
          "phonetics"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(phonetics) A lenis consonant."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "linguistics",
        "phonetics",
        "phonology",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "lē'nəs"
    },
    {
      "enpr": "lā'nəs"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈliːnɪs/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈleɪnɪs/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-lenis.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-iːnɪs"
    }
  ],
  "word": "lenis"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English terms borrowed from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English uncomparable adjectives",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/iːnɪs",
    "Rhymes:English/iːnɪs/2 syllables",
    "Terms with Irish translations"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "lenition"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "lēnis",
        "4": "",
        "5": "soft, smooth"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”)",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”).",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "lenis (not comparable)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "fortis"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Phonetics"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              138,
              143
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2004, Stephan Gramley, Michael Pätzold, A Survey of Modern English, Routledge, →ISBN, page 80:",
          "text": "All vowels, whether short or complex, are relatively shorter when followed by a fortis consonant and relatively longer when followed by a lenis one or, for those where this is possible, when no consonant follows (in free or unchecked syllables).",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Weakly articulated, hence voiced; especially as compared to the others of a group of homorganic consonants."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "phonetics",
          "phonetics"
        ],
        [
          "consonant",
          "consonant"
        ],
        [
          "voiced",
          "voiced"
        ],
        [
          "homorganic",
          "homorganic"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(phonetics, of a consonant) Weakly articulated, hence voiced; especially as compared to the others of a group of homorganic consonants."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "of a consonant"
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "lax"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "linguistics",
        "phonetics",
        "phonology",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "lē'nəs"
    },
    {
      "enpr": "lā'nəs"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈliːnɪs/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈleɪnɪs/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-lenis.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-iːnɪs"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "weakly articulated",
      "word": "séimh"
    }
  ],
  "word": "lenis"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English terms borrowed from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English uncomparable adjectives",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/iːnɪs",
    "Rhymes:English/iːnɪs/2 syllables",
    "Terms with Irish translations"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "lēnis",
        "4": "",
        "5": "soft, smooth"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”)",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lenes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "lenes"
      },
      "expansion": "lenis (plural lenes)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Phonetics"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A lenis consonant."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "phonetics",
          "phonetics"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(phonetics) A lenis consonant."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "linguistics",
        "phonetics",
        "phonology",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "enpr": "lē'nəs"
    },
    {
      "enpr": "lā'nəs"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈliːnɪs/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈleɪnɪs/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-lenis.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Flame%2C_not_lame-lenis.wav.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-iːnɪs"
    }
  ],
  "word": "lenis"
}

Download raw JSONL data for lenis meaning in English (4.3kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-06-01 using wiktextract (5ee713e and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.