The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
venial
SYLLABICATION: ve·ni·al
PRONUNCIATION: vn-l, vnyl
ADJECTIVE: 1. Easily excused or forgiven; pardonable: a venial offense. 2. Roman Catholic Church Minor, therefore warranting only temporal punishment.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin venilis, from Latin venia, forgiveness. See wen-1 in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS: veni·ali·ty
