venial : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: venial	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for venial
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
venial adj warranting only temporal punishment; "venial sin" [syn: minor, venial] easily excused or forgiven; "a venial error" Synonym(s): excusable, forgivable, venial
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Venial \Ve"nial\, a. [OF. venial, F. v[82]niel, L. venialis, from venia forgiveness, pardon, grace, favor, kindness; akin to venerari to venerate. See {Venerate}.] 1. Capable of being forgiven; not heinous; excusable; pardonable; as, a venial* fault or transgression. So they do nothing, 't is a venial slip. --Shak. 2. Allowed; permitted. [Obs.] [bd]Permitting him the while venial discourse unblamed.[b8] --Milton. {Venial sin} (R. C. Theol.), a sin which weakens, but does not wholly destroy, sanctifying grace, as do mortal, or deadly, sins. -- {Ve"nially}, adv. -- {Ve"nialness}, n. --Bp. Hall.