leniency

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
lenient /ˈliːnɪənt/

▶adjective

• 1 merciful or tolerant.

• 2 archaic mild or soothing.

– derivatives
lenience noun,
leniency noun,
leniently adverb.

– origin C17: from L. lenient-, lenire ‘soothe’, from lenis ‘mild, gentle’.