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lean

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Lean is defined as to incline, bend or rest on.

(verb)

An example of lean is for an injured athlete to rest on his teammates as he hobbles to the sidelines.

The definition of lean is with little fat.

(adjective)

An example of lean is a piece of fish.

See lean in Webster's New World College Dictionary

intransitive verb leaned or Chiefly Brit.leant, leaning

to bend or deviate from an upright position; stand at a slant; incline
to bend or incline the body so as to rest part of one's weight upon or against something: he leaned on the desk
to depend for encouragement, aid, etc.; rely (on or upon)
to have a particular mental inclination; tend (toward or to a certain opinion, attitude, etc.)

Origin: ME lenen < OE hlinian, to lean, hlænan, to cause to lean, akin to Ger lehnen < IE base *lei-, to incline, lean > Gr klinein, L clinare

transitive verb

to cause to lean: to lean one's head back, lean the ladder against the house

noun

the act or condition of leaning; inclination; slant

Related Forms:

leaner noun

adjective

with little flesh or fat; thin; spare
containing little or no fat: said of meat
1. lacking in richness, profit, productivity, etc.; meager
2. deficient in some quality or substance: a lean mixture in the carburetor
3. characterized by brevity, incisiveness, directness, etc.: a lean writing style
4. characterized by economy, efficiency, automation rather than human labor, etc.: a leaner, more competitive company

Origin: ME lene < OE hlæne, prob. akin to lean, in sense “leaning, drooping,” hence “thin, slender”

noun

meat containing little or no fat

Related Forms:

leanly adverb
leanness noun

See lean in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb leaned leaned, lean·ing, leans

verb, intransitive

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

verb, transitive

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

noun

A tilt or an inclination away from the vertical.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English lenen

Origin: , from Old English hleonian; see klei- in Indo-European roots

adjective lean·er, lean·est

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