lean¹ (lēn)

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[Middle English lenen, from Old English hleonian.]

verb: leaned, lean·ing, leans. 

intransitive verb 

1. To bend or slant away from the vertical.
2. To incline the weight of the body so as to be supported: leaning against the railing. See synonyms at slant
3. To rely for assistance or support: Lean on me for help.
4. To have a tendency or preference: a government that leans toward fascism.
5. Informal To exert pressure: The boss is leaning on us to meet the deadline.

transitive verb 

1. To set or place so as to be resting or supported.
2. To cause to incline.

noun 

A tilt or an inclination away from the vertical.

lean² (lēn)

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[Middle English lene, from Old English hlǣne.]

adjective: lean·er, lean·est. 

1. Not fleshy or fat; thin.
2. Containing little or no fat.
3. 1. Not productive or prosperous; meager: lean years.
   2. Containing little excess or waste; spare: a lean budget.
   3. Thrifty in management; economical: “Company leaders know their industries must be lean to survive” (Christian Science Monitor)
4. Metallurgy Low in mineral contents: lean ore.
   1. Chemistry Lacking in combustible material: lean fuel.

noun 

Meat with little or no fat.

derivatives

leańly

adverb

leańness

noun

synonyms:

lean²spare, skinny, scrawny, lank, lanky, rawboned, gaunt These adjectives mean lacking excess flesh. Lean emphasizes absence of fat: fattened the lean cattle for market. Spare sometimes suggests trimness and good muscle tone: “an old man, very tall and spare, with an ascetic aspect” (William H. Mallock) Skinny and scrawny imply unattractive thinness, as with undernourishment: The child has skinny legs with prominent knees. “He a long, scrawny neck that rose out of a very low collar” (Winston Churchill) Lank describes one who is thin and tall, and lanky one who is thin, tall, and ungraceful: “He was . . . exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders” (Washington Irving) The boy had developed into a lanky adolescent. Rawboned suggests a thin, bony, gangling build: a rawboned cowhand. Gaunt implies boniness and a haggard appearance; it may suggest illness or hardship: a white-haired pioneer, her face gaunt from overwork.