a suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, variant of -ulent:
pestilent.
Related Words
-ulent
Mid-Lent Sunday
pestilent
-lent
/lənt/
suffix
forming adjectives such as pestilent, violent.
［构成形容词, 如pestilent, violent］。比较 -ULENT.
-lentsuffix, occurring in adjs. from Latin. The L. ending -lentus (which in some words has an alternative form -lens) has approximately the sense of the Eng. -ful. It is believed to have been orig. a compound, formed by the addition of the suffix -ento-, -ent- (cf.cruentus gory) to derivative stems in -lo- or -li-; these stems, however, have not been preserved (exc. in the case of gracilis slender, whence gracilentus† gracilent), and in classical times -lentus was a productive suffix. Normally it is preceded by u, as in turbulentus turbulent, pulverulentus pulverulent (see -ulent); but there are a few cases in which the stem-vowel of the primary n. appears, as pestilentus (-lens) pestilent, f.pestis plague, and some which have an unexplained o, as violentus (-lens) violent, f.vi-s force (cf.violāre to violate), sanguinolentus bloody, f.sanguin-, sanguis blood.
-lent/lənt/suffix (not productive).
ORIGIN:Latin-lentus -ful.
In and forming adjectives with the sense ‘full of, characterized by’, as pestilent, violent. Cf. -ulent.