lean
 I. lean1 (lēn)v. leaned, lean·ing, leansv. intr.
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.v. tr.
1. To set or place so as to be resting or supported.
2. To cause to incline.n.
A tilt or an inclination away from the vertical. [Middle English lenen, from Old English hleonian. See klei- in Indo-European Roots.] II. lean2 (lēn)adj. lean·er, lean·est
1. Not fleshy or fat; thin.
2. Containing little or no fat.
3.
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).
4. Metallurgy. Low in mineral contents:
lean ore.
a. Chemistry. Lacking in combustible material:
lean fuel.n.
Meat with little or no fat. [Middle English lene, from Old English hlǣne.] leanʹly adv.leanʹness n.
Synonyms: lean2, spare, 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 [had] 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.
|
|
