Lent (Anglo-Saxon, lencten). Lenctentid (spring-tide) was the Saxon name for March, because in this
month there is a manifest lengthening of the days. As the chief part of the great fast falls in March, this
period of fast received the name of the Lencten-fæsten, or Lent. It is from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
The Fast of thirty-six days was introduced in the fourth century. Felix III. added four more days in
487, to make it correspond with our Lord's fast in the wilderness.
Galeazzo's Lent. A form of torture devised by Galeazzo Visconti, calculated to prolong the unfortunate
victim's life for forty days.