Leniency

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈliːni.ən(t)si/

Definitions

1. A quality of being permissive, tolerant, or merciful when judging or punishing someone's actions or mistakes
2. A state of being forgiving, generous, or understanding in response to misconduct or errors committed by others
3. An attitude characterized by compassion, mildness, or forbearance towards those who have wronged or erred

Etymology: Leniency comes from a Latin verb meaning "to soften," which is a striking origin for a word now tied to courtrooms and judges. The Latin "lēnis" meant "soft," "smooth," or "gentle," and the verb "lēnīre" extended that sense to soothing or easing pain. The softness was originally physical, something you did to a surface or a person's temper, before it came to describe the way a judge or a parent eases the severity of a punishment. The word is built in two stages. English first took "lenience," the noun from the Latin stem "lēniēns," and later added the suffix "-y," a common English ending that turns adjectives and nouns into abstract qualities. Adding "-y" to "lenience" produced "leniency," a form that sounds slightly more formal and abstract than the word it grew from.

Synonyms: mercy, clemency, forbearance, tolerance, indulgence

Antonyms: severity, harshness, strictness, severity, rigor