Word of the Day for Wednesday August 31, 2005 venial \VEE-nee-uhl\, adjective: Capable of being forgiven; not heinous; excusable; pardonable. Look less severely on a venial error. --Jean Racine, Phaedra (translated by Robert Bruce Boswell) His mistake might in other circumstances have seemed a venial one. --Michael Knox Beran, [1]The Last Patrician Committing adultery was a mortal sin, while eating meat on Fridays was a venial sin. --Sheryl McCarthy, "O'Connor Proposal for Meatless Day Is Thoughtless," [2]Newsday, August 12, 1996 _________________________________________________________ Venial comes from Latin venia, "grace, indulgence, favor." It is not to be confused with venal, which means "capable of being bought; salable; open to bribery," and comes from Latin venum, "sale." Remember that venial, like sin, has an i in it. Venial sins are contrasted with mortal ones. References 1. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312206593/ref%3Dnosim/lexico 2. http://www.newsday.com/ Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=9&q=venial