lenis

See also: Lenis

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lēnis (“soft, smooth”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: lē'nəs, lā'nəs, IPA^(key): /ˈliːnɪs/, /ˈleɪnɪs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːnɪs

Adjective

lenis (not comparable)

1. (phonetics, of a consonant) Weakly articulated, hence voiced; especially as compared to the others of a group of homorganic consonants.

   Synonym: lax

   Antonym: fortis

   • 2004, Stephan Gramley, Michael Pätzold, A Survey of Modern English, Routledge, →ISBN, page 80:

     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).

Derived terms

• lenition

Translations

weakly articulated

Finnish: heikko (fi), lenis (fi) Irish: séimh

Noun

lenis (plural lenes)

1. (phonetics) A lenis consonant.

Anagrams

• LINEs, Niles, elsin, liens, lines, lisne