I.
past of lend
II. ˈlent noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Middle English lente, lenten, leinte springtime, Lent, from Old English lengten, længten, lencten; akin to Old Saxon lentin spring, Middle Dutch lente, lenten, lentin, Old High German lengizin, lenzin; all from a prehistoric West Germanic compound whose constituents are represented respectively by English long and Gothic -tein- in sinteins daily; akin to Sanskrit dina day, Latin dies — more at deity
1.
a. : a period of penitence and fasting observed on the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter in the Roman Catholic and some other churches of Western Christianity : quadragesima
b. : a somewhat longer Lent observed in Eastern Orthodox churches — compare xerophagy
2. : a period of fasting ordained by any religion
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English lente, from lent, past participle of lenden to lend — more at lend
dialect Britain : loan
IV. adjective
Etymology: Middle English lente, from Middle French lent, from Old French, from Latin lentus slow, calm, flexible — more at lithe
1. obsolete : slow — used especially of a fever or a fire
2. archaic : lento