lenient

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 3, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>lenient</strong> &#149; \LEEN-yunt\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Lenient</em> means "not harsh, severe, or strict."</p> <p>// The teacher was <em>lenient</em> in her grading after the holiday break.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lenient">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"When it comes to growing up, we're all split into two camps: those with <em>lenient</em> parents and those with strict parents." — Nicky Idika, <em>PopBuzz</em>, 8 May 2017</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p><em>Lenient</em> comes from <em>lenis</em>, the Latin word for "soft" or "mild." It was originally applied to something soothing that relieved pain or stress; the related <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lenitive">lenitive</a></em> has the same meaning. Linguists also borrowed <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lenis">lenis</a></em> to describe speech sounds that are softened—for instance, the "t" sound in <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gutter">gutter</a></em>.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>