Also lente. [a. F. lent, ad. L. lent-us.]
† 1. Slow, sluggish; said esp. of a fever, a fire. Obs.
14[?]. in Lanfranc’s Cirurg. (1893), 297, note. Boile hit with a lente fyre.
1590. Barrough, Meth. Phisick, 392. Make a distillation with a lente and soft fire.
1610. B. Jonson, Alch., III. ii. We must now encrease Our fire to Ignis ardens, we are past Fimus equinus, Balnei, Cineris, And all those lenter heates.
1658. Baillie, in Z. Boyd, Zion’s Flowers (1855), App. 36/2. A lent feaver and defluxion. Ibid. (1662), Lett. & Jrnls. (Bannatyne Club), III. 433. The last trick they have fallen on, to usurp the Magistracie, is … to get the deacons … created of their side;… but this lent-way does no satisfie.
1732. Arbuthnot, Rules of Diet (1736), 342. A continual Lent-Fever, with Rigors invading with uncertain Periods.
† b. quasi-sb. Slowness, delay. Obs.
c. 1435. Torr. Portugal, 2561. Withoute lent, They wesh and to mete went.
2. Mus. = LENTO. Now rare.
1724. [see LENTO].
1726. Bailey, Lent [in Musick Books] denotes a slow Movement, and signifies much the same as Largo.
1876. Stainer & Barrett, Dict. Mus. Terms, Lent (F.), Slow, lento.
1882. Jas. Walker, Jaunt to Auld Reekie, etc. 31. Wha played like thee a lente solo, Reel or Strathspey.
