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Vinony

relent

verb

  1. to become less severe, harsh, or strict usually from reasons of humanity
L309316 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈlɛnt/

adj

Etymology: From Middle English relenten, from Anglo-Norman relentir, from Latin re- + lentare (“to bend”), from lentus (“soft, pliant, slow”). Earliest recording dates to 1526. The noun is from the verb.

  1. Softhearted; yielding.

noun

Etymology: From Middle English relenten, from Anglo-Norman relentir, from Latin re- + lentare (“to bend”), from lentus (“soft, pliant, slow”). Earliest recording dates to 1526. The noun is from the verb.

  1. A stay; a stop; a delay.

    “There was no relent, my dear, as we pulled each other in.”

    “The pistons of this engine moved without relent.”

  2. A relenting.

verb

Etymology: From Middle English relenten, from Anglo-Norman relentir, from Latin re- + lentare (“to bend”), from lentus (“soft, pliant, slow”). Earliest recording dates to 1526. The noun is from the verb.

  1. To give in or be swayed; to become less hard, harsh, or cruel; to show clemency.

    “He had planned to ground his son for a month, but relented and decided to give him a stern lecture instead.”

    “Can you, my Lord of Winchester, behold My sighs and tears and will not once relent?”

  2. To slacken; to abate.

    “We waited for the storm to relent before we ventured outside.”

    “He will not relent in his effort to reclaim his victory.”

  3. To lessen, make less severe or intense.

    “But nothing might relent her hastie flight; / So deepe the deadly feare of that foule swaine / Was earst impressed in her gentle spright […]”

  4. To become less rigid or hard; to soften; to yield, for example by dissolving or melting

    “[Salt of tartar] placed in a cellar will […] begin to relent.”

    “When opening buds salute the welcome day, / And earth, relenting, feels the genial ray.”