LENITION Meaning of LENITION in English [ lɪ'nɪʃ(ə)n ]■ noun (in Celtic languages) the process or result of palatalizing a consonant.Originearly 20th cent.: from L. lenis 'soft' + -ition , suggested by Ger. Lenierung . Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004