-lent

¹ American  

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

   pestilent.

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lent ² American  

[lent] / lɛnt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of lend.

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Lent ³ American  

[lent] / lɛnt /

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.

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lent ¹ British  

/ lɛnt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of lend

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Lent ² British  

/ 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

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Lent Cultural  

1. In Christianity, a time of fasting and repentance in the spring, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending several weeks later on Easter.

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Usage

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.

Discover More

To “give something up for Lent” is to abandon a pleasurable habit as an act of devotion and self-discipline.

Other Word Forms

• post-Lent adjective
• unlent adjective
• well-lent adjective

Etymology

Origin of Lent

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. )

Example Sentences

Chinese banks lent Venezuela billions of dollars, to be repaid in oil, to finance housing, telecoms and other infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal

Building societies, in particular, pointed out it would also reduce the amount of money they received from savers' deposits which could then be lent out as mortgages or other loans.

From BBC

He also lent his voice to a handful of video games including “Call of Duty: WWII” and was set to collaborate with Hideo Kojima on his upcoming “OD.”

From Los Angeles Times

Epstein lent Indyke more than $7 million that was never repaid.

From The Wall Street Journal

The state of California belatedly lent its support.

From Los Angeles Times