different between relent vs relinquish

English

Etymology

From Middle English relenten, from Anglo-Norman relentir, from Latin re- + lentare (“to bend”), from lentus (“soft, pliant, slow”). Earliest recording dates to 1526.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???l?nt/
• Rhymes: -?nt

Noun

relent (plural relents)

1. Stay; stop; delay.
   • 2015, Mel Parson, First Sign of Trouble (song)

     There was no relent, my dear, as we pulled each other in.
2. (obsolete) A relenting.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Edmund Spenser to this entry?)

Derived terms

• relentless

Translations

Verb

relent (third-person singular simple present relents, present participle relenting, simple past and past participle relented)

1. (intransitive) To become less severe or intense; to become less hard, harsh, or cruel; to soften in temper

   He had planned to ground his son for a month, but relented and decided to give him a stern lecture instead.

   • 1989, Kazuo Ishiguro The Remains of the Day

     I did, I suppose, hope that she might finally relent a little and make some conciliatory response or other.
2. (intransitive) To slacken; to abate.

   We waited for the storm to relent before we ventured outside.

   He will not relent in his effort to reclaim his victory.

3. (obsolete, transitive) To lessen, make less severe or intense.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.iv:

     But nothing might relent her hastie flight; / So deepe the deadly feare of that foule swaine / Was earst impressed in her gentle spright […]

4. (dated, intransitive, of substance) To become less rigid or hard; to soften; to yield, for example by dissolving or melting
   • 1669, Robert Boyle, The History of Fluidity and Firmness

     [Salt of tartar] placed in a cellar will […] begin to relent.

Translations

Adjective

relent (comparative more relent, superlative most relent)

1. (obsolete) softhearted; yielding

References

French

Etymology

re- +? lent (“slow”, in the sense “lingering”)

Pronunciation

Noun

relent m (plural relents)

1. lingering smell (usually bad); stench
2. (figuratively) overtone

Further reading

• “relent” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle English

Verb

relent

1. Alternative form of relenten

English

Etymology

From Middle English relinquisshen, from the inflected stem relinquiss- of Middle French relinquir, from Latin relinquere, itself from re- + linquere (“to leave”).Compare also Sanskrit ??????? (ri?akti, “to leave”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???l??kw??/

Verb

relinquish (third-person singular simple present relinquishes, present participle relinquishing, simple past and past participle relinquished)

1. (transitive) To give up, abandon or retire from something. To trade away.

   to relinquish a title

   to relinquish property

   to relinquish rights

   to relinquish citizenship or nationality

2. (transitive) To let go (free, away), physically release.
3. (transitive) To metaphorically surrender, yield control or possession.
   • 2011, Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France [1]

     But it was the most fleeting of false dawns. Dmitri Yachvilli slotted a penalty from distance after Flood failed to release his man on the deck, and France took a grip they would never relinquish.

4. (transitive) To accept to give up, withdraw etc.

   The delegations saved the negotiations by relinquishing their incompatible claims to sole jurisdiction

Derived terms

• relinquishment

Related terms

• derelict
• relic
• relict
• reliquiae

Translations

Further reading

• relinquish in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• relinquish in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.