lenity

Founding-era definition · Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

LEN'ITY, noun [Latin lenitas, from lenis, mild, soft.] Mildness of temper; softness; tenderness; mercy. Young offenders may be treated with lenity It is opposed to severity and rigor.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI

More founding-era words: liberty · virtue · republic · justice · providence · commerce · militia · arms · prudence · establishment · religion · usurpation · tyranny · citizen · unalienable · sovereign