lenzen

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• Rhymes: -ɛnzən

lenzen

1. plural of lens

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɛn.(t)sən/, , , ,

From Middle High German lenzen, from lenze (“spring”).

lenzen (weak, third-person singular present lenzt, past tense lenzte, past participle gelenzt, auxiliary haben)

1. (poetic, archaic, impersonal) to become spring

• Lenz

Backformation from faulenzen (“to be idle”), originally unrelated to Lenz above, but associated with it. Compare the expression fauler Lenz or lauer Lenz (“period of idleness”).

lenzen (weak, third-person singular present lenzt, past tense lenzte, past participle gelenzt, auxiliary haben)

1. (colloquial) to be idle; to hang out

   Synonyms: abhängen, rumhängen

• rumlenzen

19th century, derived from Dutch lens (“slack, empty”, also “dry”, of a ship).

lenzen (weak, third-person singular present lenzt, past tense lenzte, past participle gelenzt, auxiliary haben)

1. (nautical) to pump out or drain a ship

• lenz

From Middle Low German lensen. Cognate with Dutch lenzen. Perhaps from the same adjective as under etymology 3, though this is not certain.

lenzen (weak, third-person singular present lenzt, past tense lenzte, past participle gelenzt, auxiliary haben)

1. (nautical, usually vor dem Wind lenzen) to sail slowly in front the wind

• “lenzen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “lenzen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “lenzen (grünen)” in Duden online
• “lenzen (segeln, pumpen)” in Duden online