leaner

Lean  (ln), Sir David 1908-1991.

British filmmaker. His works include The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962), both of which won Academy Awards.

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lean ¹  (ln)

v. leaned, lean·ing, leans

v.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.

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[Middle English lenen, from Old English hleonian; see klei- in Indo-European roots.]

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lean ²  (ln)

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.

Chemistry Lacking in combustible material: lean fuel.

n.

Meat with little or no fat.

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[Middle English lene, from Old English hlne.]

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leanly adv.

leanness 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.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

leaner - (horseshoes) the throw of a horseshoe so as to lean against (but not encircle) the stake throw - the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist); "the catcher made a good throw to second base" horseshoes, quoits - a game in which iron rings (or open iron rings) are thrown at a stake in the ground in the hope of encircling it