RELENT

RonButters at AOL.COM RonButters at AOL.COM
Thu Aug 30 17:50:12 UTC 2007


and here is NOAD1:

re•lent ...  v. [intrans.] abandon or mitigate a
harsh intention or cruel treatment: she was going to refuse
his request, but relented.
   (esp. of bad weather) become less severe or intense:
by evening the rain relented.
–ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense ‘dissolve,
melt’): based on Latin re- ‘back’ + lentare ‘to bend’
(from lentus ‘flexible’).
re•lent•less ...  adj. oppressively constant; incessant:
the relentless heat of the desert.



**************************************
 Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at 
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list