Relent
Verb
Etymology: it is conjecturally analysed into re- (prefix with semantic implication of “back” or “again”) and the Latin lentus (= pliant, flexible, slow, viscous). Lentus is maybe a short for lenitus, participle of lenire (= to soften, assuage)
Third-person singular simple present: she (he) relents
Indicative past, past participle: relented
Present participle: relenting
Intransitively:
Obsolete and pristine uses: a. To melt; liquefy. b. To become soft. c. To become flexible or less tense
Current use: (of a person) to become lenient or less severe; to cease from manifesting a severe behaviour, or from feeling a severe purpose (determination, etc.)
It may be approximately translated by suavisarse, or aplacarse, in Spanish; placarsi, or soavizzarsi, in Italian; s’adoucir, in French.
Synonyms: to soften, to become compassionate
Antonyms: to exasperate, obstinate oneself in a severe determination
[…] her gentle conduct towards him was exchanged for asperity and repulsive coldness. When she perceived the […] pathetic appeal of his expressive countenance, she would relent, and for a while resume her ancient kindness.
Mary Shelley (The Last Man)
Tell me, Margaret, does the tyrant king relent? Does he offer any conditions as the price of your liberty?
Hannah Jones (The Scottish Chieftains)
The prodigal, anguished anew at this repulse, fell weakly back upon the couch with a cry of despair. The little sister placed a pillow under his head and ran to plead with the mother. A long time she remained obdurate, but at last relented.
Harry Leon Wilson (Merton of the Movies)
Another cacique who dwelt beyond the river, […], went along with the prisoners to Isabella to intercede with the admiral for their pardon. The admiral received him very courteously, but ordered that the prisoners should be brought out into the market-place with their hands bound, and sentenced them to die. On seeing this the friendly cacique petitioned for their lives with many tears, promising that they should never be guilty of any other offence; at length the admiral relented and discharged them all.
Robert Kerr (A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels)
Having rapped at the gate, the porter unbolted and kept it half open, placing himself in the gap, […], to dispute my passage. I asked if his lord was stirring? He answered with a surly aspect, 'No'. 'At what hour does he commonly rise?' said I. 'Sometimes sooner, sometimes later,' said he, closing the door upon me by degrees. I then told him, I was come by his lordship's own appointment; to which intimation this Cerberus replied, 'I have received no orders about the matter'; and was upon the point of shutting me out, when I recollected myself all of a sudden, and, slipping a crown into his hand, begged as a favour that he would inquire, and let me know whether or not the earl was up. The grim janitor relented at the touch of my money, which he took with all the indifference of a tax-gatherer, and showed me into a parlour, where, he said, I might amuse myself till such time as his lord should be awake.
Tobias Smollett (The Adventures of Roderick Random)
On this haughty answer being reported to Cortes, he immediately sent off an alguazil with four horsemen and five Tezcucan chiefs, ordering them to seize and hang Xicotencatl wherever they could find him. Alvarado interceded strongly for his pardon, but ineffectually; for though Cortes seemed to relent, the party who arrested Xicotencatl in a town subject to Tezcuco, hung him up by private orders from Cortes, and some reported that this was done with the approbation of the elder Xicotencatl, father to the Tlascalan general.
Robert Kerr (A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels)
We are happy to say that Mrs. Shandon sped with very good success upon her errand. She who had had to mollify creditors when she had no money at all, and only tears and entreaties wherewith to soothe them, found no difficulty in making them relent by means of a bribe of ten shillings in the pound.
William Makepeace Thackeray (The History of Pendennis)
Cleopatra made as if she would brain the flatterer with her fan, but relenting, smiled upon him.
Charles Dickens (Dombey and Son)
***With the preposition from, immediately or mediately followed by its object (a noun, or a pronoun) which is designative of the ill-humour, the severity, or the severe behaviour or purpose:
Of him, she professed a peculiar dislike —or rather absolute loathing: yet when Sir Rezin, so far relenting from what he deemed a needful severity, [… conceded] her the option of selecting another from among her patrician suitors […]
Atkinson’s casket, vol. 8
[My guide] began a little to relent from her first rage.
The New monthly magazine, vol. 1
[…] so by secret report he had been advertised, that upon private communications and conferences, the learned men there [in Germany] had in certain points and articles yielded and relented from their first asseveration
James Anthony Froude (History of England…)
The king, moved by the tenderness of this piteous advocacy, seemed for a moment to relent from his stern sublimity
John Galt (Spaewife)
***With the preposition of, immediately or mediately followed by its object (a noun, or a pronoun) which is designative of the ill-humour, the severity, or the severe behaviour or purpose:
Mrs. Althorpe relented of her severity.
W. Landor (The Head and the heart, in Graham Magazine)
Such a sweet smile of ineffable goodness and spiritual innocence rested on her countenance, that I almost relented of my purpose.
Henry Clay Lewis (The Swamp Doctor's Adventures)
The conqueror seemed […] to have relented of his former cruelty.
Georges Dawson Flinter (A history of the revolution of Caracas)
Although Selden withdrew the express bequest of his library to the university, yet he left its disposal to the discretion of his executors, and even by his uncertain expression, seemed willing to confess that he relented of his petulant resolution.
George Johnson (Memoirs of John Selden)
***With the preposition in, immediately or mediately followed by its object (a noun, a pronoun, or a gerund) which is designative of the severe behaviour, feeling or purpose:
The only reason he relented in allowing Jean-Louis to join us in the first place was because he was my friend.
John Kretschmer (Flirting with Mermaids)
The Arrapahoes, relenting in their vigilance, went so far as to offer us to accompany them in an expedition eastward.
Frederick Marryat (Travels and Adventures of Monsieur Violet)
I never relent in exacting my due from any one.
Emily Bronte (Wuthering Heights)
They entreated and requested to be transferred to Bretagne or Calais, where, under protection of the Duke of Bretagne or King of England, they might remain in a state of safety, until the sovereign of Burgundy should relent in his rigorous purpose towards them.
Walter Scott (Quentin Durward)
[…] it is possible to imagine Shylock relenting in a hatred of which the reasons he assigned for it no longer existed.
Frances Ann Kemble (Records of a Girlhood)
It was impossible to engage him in any conversation on his own personal affairs; nor was he communicative or accessible in talking on any other subject whatever, although he seemed to have considerably relented in the extreme ferocity of his misanthropy.
Walter Scott (The Black Dwarf)
The young monarch was secretly apprised of the concerted treason, and refused an audience to the ambassadors. He denounced his uncle as the murderer of his father and his kindred and the usurper of his throne, and vowed never to relent in hostility to him until he should place his head on the walls of the Alhambra.
Washington Irving (Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada)
Lydia had never relented in her abhorrence of Hicks since the day of his disgrace.
William Dean Howells (The Lady of the Aroostook)
***With the prepositions towards, or toward, immediately or mediately followed by its object (a noun, or a pronoun) which is designative of the animated being who were object of a severe behaviour, feeling or purpose:
As James never forgave or relented towards anybody, he was not likely to soften towards the issuer of the Lyme proclamation, so he told the suppliant to prepare for death.
Charles Dickens (A Child’s History of England)
[…] Henry seemed on the point of relenting toward his old friend and faithful servant.
William Herbert (Memoirs of Henry the Eighth of England)
"Roland," said the Lady, somewhat appeased, and relenting towards her favourite, "you had me to appeal to when you were aggrieved [”].
Walter Scott (The Abbot)
***With the preposition into, immediately or mediately followed by its object (a noun, or a pronoun) which is designative of the soft feeling, behaviour or purpose that results from the leniency:
[…] the expedient […] of winding a letter round an arrow, and shooting it into the open window of his mistress, at a time when he knew that the stern severity of her father had relented into a permission that she should breathe the fresh air of the garden.
The British essayists, vol. 44, edited by Alexander Chalmers
Among the drivers who superintended them while at work was a Neapolitan, himself a captive, who had often relented into pity for them and done them sets of kindness.
The Port folio
***The subject of the verb is found sometimes to be the severe feeling, purpose, etc., instead of the person:
In such a cause, on such a mission, she would have stood at the Sprague door a suppliant until even the obstinacy of her father would have relented.
Henry Francis Keenan (The Iron Game)
Metaphorically: (of a impersonal thing, as weather, etc.) to become less vigorous or less brisk
Before the rigour of the winter began to relent, and the snow to slip away at the gentle coming of the spring, I had many opportunities of observing the character and disposition of the settlers.
John Galt (Lawrie Todd)
For weeks the rain scarce relented.
Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne (The Wrecker)
Other English words derived from relent: relenting, relentingly, relentless, relentlessly, relentlessness, relentment, unrelented, unrelenting, unrelentingly, unrelentingness, unrelentor, unrelentable
