— leniently , adv.
/lee"nee euhnt, leen"yeuhnt/ , adj.
1. agreeably tolerant; permissive; indulgent: He tended to be lenient toward the children. More lenient laws encouraged greater freedom of expression.
2. Archaic. softening, soothing, or alleviative.
[ 1645-55; lenient- (s. of leniens ), prp. of lenire to soften, alleviate, soothe. See LENIS, -ENT ]