Forms: α. 4 uenial, veniale, 4–7 veniall, 4– venial; 4–5 venyal (5 -ale), 4–6 venyall. β. 4 veniele, 4–5 veniel. [a. OF. venial, veniel (mod.F. véniel, = Sp. and Pg. venial, It. veniale), or ad. L. veniālis (rare), f. venia forgiveness, indulgence, pardon.]
A. adj. 1. Worthy or admitting of pardon, forgiveness or remission; not grave or heinous; pardonable, light: a. Of sin; spec. in Theol. as opposed to deadly or mortal.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 27541. Bot þar-of es oþer sines smale, Þat clerkes clepes veniale. Ibid., 27545. Man cals þam venial and light.
c. 1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 2638. Þe saul þat es clensed wele Of al dedely syn and of veniele.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Pars. T., 287. In þis wise skippith venial in to dedly synne.
c. 1400. 26 Pol. Poems, ix. 85. In venyale synne longe to byde, Makeþ dedly synnes to growe grete.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 60/2. To swere lyghtly without hurte or blame is venyal synne.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 180. Whome no synne sholde defoule, neyther originall nor actuall, mortall ne venyall.
1558. Bp. Watson, Sev. Sacram., i. 5. If he hath lightly offended in any venyall synne, he pardoneth him.
1615. Brathwait, Strappado (1878), 83. If I but tutch, to tutch ’s a veniall sin, The pretty circle of thy dimpled chin.
1682. Burnet, Rights Princes, Pref. 33. That it is only a Venial Sin in any, to lessen the great authority of another.
a. 1700. in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ., IX. 360. She had rather have suffered a thousand deaths, then wittingly commite ye least veniall sinne.
1737. Challoner, Cath. Chr. Instr. (1753), 116. By what Rule shall a Person be able to make a Judgment whether his Sins be mortal or venial?
1830. Scott, Demonol., ii. 56. The crime of the person who … consulted the oracle of Apollo;—a capital offence in a Jew, but surely a venial sin in an ignorant and deluded pagan.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), I. 408. Those who have only committed venial sins are first purified of them.
b. Of crimes, offences, etc.
1604. Shaks., Oth., IV. i. 9. If they do nothing, ’tis a Veniall slip.
1622. J. Taylor (Water P.), Sir Gregory Nonsence, Wks. (1630), 4/1. The man that seeketh straying minds to weane all, From veniall vices, or offences penall.
1665. Boyle, Occas. Refl., Pref. p. x. I hope it will be thought a venial Crime, if in some of these Meditations I have not aim’d to express Eloquence, but only to cherish Piety.
1746. Francis, trans. Hor., Sat., I. iv. 174. Thus, pure from more pernicious crimes I live: Some venial frailties you may well forgive.
1796. W. H. Marshall, Rur. Econ., II. 115. The practice of pruning off the side boughs of Hedgerow Elms is a venial crime.
1872. Yeats, Growth Comm., 56. Our own laws not long ago punished forgery and even more venial crimes with death.
1876. Farrar, Marlb. Serm., xiv. 134. Laughter may be the right cure for venial follies.
† c. Of an offender: Committing a venial sin or offence. Obs.–1
1796. Mme. D’Arblay, Camilla, I. 225. The venial offender had been released with a gentle reprimand.
2. Of an error or fault: That may be excused or overlooked; of a light, unimportant or trivial nature; excusable.
1581. Pettie, Guazzo’s Civ. Conv., II. (1586), 66 b. Whereby we may gather, that if the fault in wordes be veniall, the fault in sentence and matter be mortall.
1639. Fuller, Holy War, V. ix. 243. In the prosecuting and managing thereof, many not only veniall errours but unexcusable faults were committed.
1699. Bentley, Phal., 326. He thinks it a more venial fault to make a mistake at Second hand after others.
1735. Bolingbroke, On Parties, xix. 235. He, who would have been ashamed to participate in Fraud, or to yield to Corruption, may begin to think the Faults venial, when he sees Men, who were far below Him, rise above Him by Fraud and by Corruption.
1784. Cowper, Task, VI. 418. Witness at his foot, The spaniel dying, for some venial fault.
1825. Scott, Betrothed, Concl. This is a venial error compared to that of our ancestors.
1876. Farrar, Marlb. Serm., xxxvi. 362. If a boy has committed some … quite venial fault.
b. In general use.
1806. in Mrs. Hutchinson’s Mem. of Col. H., 304, note. The account here given of Col. Hutchinson’s motives … lays his conduct fairly open to the discussion … of the reader, who … will determine it for himself to be commendable, censurable, or venial.
1809–10. Coleridge, Friend (1865), 138. This was indeed a gross delusion, but, assuredly for young men at least, a very venial one too.
1850. W. Irving, Mahomet, xvi. (1853), 96. An act of plunder and revenge—a venial act in the eyes of the Arabs.
1880. R. G. White, Every-Day Eng., 79. Mere provincialism in pronunciation … is venial in comparison with slovenly speech.
† 3. Allowable, permissible; blameless. rare.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. lxxi. § 8. The Iewes … not doubting that bodily labours are made by necessitie veniall, though otherwise, especially on that day [i.e., the Sabbath], rest be more conuenient.
1667. Milton, P. L., IX. 5. Where God … With Man … familiar us’d To sit indulgent,… permitting him the while Venial discourse unblam’d.
1725. Pope, Odyss., I. 219. With venial freedom let me now demand Thy name, thy lineage, and paternal land.
† B. sb. A venial sin or offence; a light fault or error. Obs.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 452. Þouȝ þis be synne, ȝit it is venyal, and not dedly, and venyals ben waschen awey wiþ preieris of a Pater-noster.
a. 1395. Hylton, Scala Perf., I. xxxiii. (W. de W., 1494). Neuertheles yet shalt thou for this defawte & all other venyals whyche may not be eschewed in this wretchyd lyf lyft up thyn hert to god.
1425. St. Mary of Oignies, I. vi., in Anglia, VIII. 138/47. Þof she so eshewed fro smal [sins] and veniels.
c. 1540. Schole House Women (1572), D iij b. And were not two small venialles, The feminine might be glorifide.
1596. Bell, Surv. Popery, III. ix. 364. Howsoeuer our late papists flatter themselues in their venials.
1609. Bp. Hall, Disswas. Poperie, Wks. (1627), 642. It … gently blanches ouer the breaches of Gods law with the name of venialls, and fauourable titles of diminution.
1671. Woodhead, St. Teresa, I. iv. 15. I was careful not to commit any Mortal sin;… but of Venials I made no great account.
