First published 1916; not yet revised More entries for "venial"
venialadjective1 & noun
Factsheet
What does the word venial mean?
There are seven meanings listed in OED's entry for the word venial, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
venial has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
Entry status
OED is undergoing a continuous programme of revision to modernize and improve definitions. This entry has not yet been fully revised.
How common is the word venial?
About 0.2occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 1.1 |
| 1760 | 1.1 |
| 1770 | 1.2 |
| 1780 | 1.3 |
| 1790 | 1.2 |
| 1800 | 1.3 |
| 1810 | 1.4 |
| 1820 | 1.4 |
| 1830 | 1.4 |
| 1840 | 1.4 |
| 1850 | 1.2 |
| 1860 | 1.1 |
| 1870 | 1.0 |
| 1880 | 0.88 |
| 1890 | 0.78 |
| 1900 | 0.69 |
| 1910 | 0.61 |
| 1920 | 0.56 |
| 1930 | 0.55 |
| 1940 | 0.5 |
| 1950 | 0.43 |
| 1960 | 0.38 |
| 1970 | 0.29 |
| 1980 | 0.23 |
| 1990 | 0.2 |
| 2000 | 0.2 |
| 2010 | 0.2 |
How is the word venial pronounced?
British English
/ˈviːnɪəl/
VEE-nee-uhl
U.S. English
/ˈviniəl/
VEE-nee-uhl
/ˈvinjəl/
VEE-nyuhl
Where does the word venial come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the word venial is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for venial is from before 1300, in Cursor Mundi: a Northumbrian poem of the 14th century.
venial is of multiple origins. Either a borrowing from French. Or a borrowing from Latin.
Etymons: French venial; Latin veniālis.
Nearby entries
- vengeress, n.c1374–1647
- vengesour, n.1382
- vengible, adj. & adv.1548–1610
- vengibly, adv.1580
- V engine, n.1924–
- venging, n.a1382–
- venging, adj.1508–
- vengolina, n.1774–
- veniable, adj.1646
- veniably, adv.1646
- venial, adj.¹ & n.a1300–
- venial, adj.²1574–
- venialia, n.1654–
- veniality, n.1628–
- venially, adv.a1340–
- venialness, n.1727–
- Venice, n.1527–
- Venice beam, n.1611
- Venice blue, n.1598–
- Venice crown, n.c1828–
- Venice gold, n.1506–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for venial, adj.¹ & n.
venial, adj.¹ & n. was first published in 1916; not yet revised.
venial, adj.¹ & n. was last modified in March 2024.
Revision of the OED is a long-term project. Entries in oed.com which have not been revised may include:
- corrections and revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations which have been added in subsequent print and online updates.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into venial, adj.¹ & n. in March 2024.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1916)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
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Citation details
Factsheet for venial, adj.¹ & n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- vengeress, n.c1374–1647
- vengesour, n.1382
- vengible, adj. & adv.1548–1610
- vengibly, adv.1580
- V engine, n.1924–
- venging, n.a1382–
- venging, adj.1508–
- vengolina, n.1774–
- veniable, adj.1646
- veniably, adv.1646
- venial, adj.¹ & n.a1300–
- venial, adj.²1574–
- venialia, n.1654–
- veniality, n.1628–
- venially, adv.a1340–
- venialness, n.1727–
- Venice, n.1527–
- Venice beam, n.1611
- Venice blue, n.1598–
- Venice crown, n.c1828–
- Venice gold, n.1506–
