First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
Lent
noun \ˈlent\
: a period of 40 days before Easter during which many Christians do not eat certain foods or do certain pleasurable activities as a way of remembering the suffering of Jesus Christ
Full Definition of LENT
: 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
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Origin of LENT
Middle English lente springtime, Lent, from Old English lencten; akin to Old High German lenzin spring
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