lent

1 of 2

past tense and past participle of lend

Lent

2 of 2

noun

: the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter observed by the Roman Catholic, Eastern, and some Protestant churches as a period of penitence and fasting

Examples of lent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The idea for the bill, Stafsholt said, came from business owners in his western Wisconsin district that struggled with worker shortages while serving the state’s famous fish fry dinners during Lent. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 2 May 2023 All Bridger students who want to remain there can do so, but those who want to stick with Bridger’s Spanish language immersion program are getting rerouted to Lent K-5. oregonlive, 30 Aug. 2023 Ottoman Christians baked baklava for Lent, with some using up to 40 layers of phyllo dough to represent the 40 days of Lent and others using 33 layers to represent the 33 years of Christ’s life. John Moretti, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Aug. 2023 Surveying the shoreline of Rockaway Beach on a recent morning, Patricia Lent, from the Merce Cunningham Trust, was elated. Gia Kourlas Amir Hamja, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2023 Beignets are a Mardi Gras tradition stemming from when Catholics, in anticipation of the belt-tightening season of Lent, would use up all of their sugary and indulgent ingredients. Mara Severin | Eating Out, Anchorage Daily News, 25 May 2023 During the Middle Ages, individuals would return home to visit their mother church and their mothers on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 9 May 2023 In the early days of Lent – the time period of fasting between Ash Wednesday and Easter – meat was given up, as well as dairy products. Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2023 That timeline meant the report became public during Holy Week, which concludes Lent and is considered the most sacred time of year in Christianity ahead of Easter Sunday. Lea Skene, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English lente springtime, Lent, from Old English lencten; akin to Old High German lenzin spring

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lent was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near lent

Cite this Entry

“Lent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lent. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

Lent

noun
: a period of fasting and regret for one's sins that is observed on the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter by many churches
Lenten
ˈlent-ᵊn
adjective

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