lenite
Related to lenite: Spirantization
le·nite
(lə-nīt′)v. le·nit·ed, le·nit·ing, le·nites
v.intr.
To undergo an increase in sonority or become lenis. Said of consonant sounds, as when (p) changes to (b), (b) to (v), or (v) to (w).
v.tr.
To cause (a consonant sound) to lenite.
le·ni′tion (-nĭsh′ən) n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
lenite
(ləˈnaɪt)vb
(Phonetics & Phonology) to (cause to) undergo lenition
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014