lenis

Etymology

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

adj

  1. (phonetics) Weakly articulated (of a consonant), hence voiced; especially as compared to the others of a group of homorganic consonants.
    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). 2004, Stephan Gramley, Michael Pätzold, A Survey of Modern English, Routledge, page 80

noun

  1. (phonetics) A lenis consonant.

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