Hypertext Webster Gateway: "lean"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Lean \Lean\ (l[=e]n), a. [Compar. {Leaner} (l[=e]n"[~e]r);
superl. {Leanest}.] [OE. lene, AS. hl[=ae]ne; prob. akin to
E. lean to incline. See {Lean}, v. i. ]
1. Wanting flesh; destitute of or deficient in fat; not
plump; meager; thin; lank; as, a lean body; a lean cattle.
2. Wanting fullness, richness, sufficiency, or
productiveness; deficient in quality or contents; slender;
scant; barren; bare; mean; -- used literally and
figuratively; as, the lean harvest; a lean purse; a lean
discourse; lean wages. ``No lean wardrobe.'' --Shak.
Their lean and fiashy songs. --Milton.
What the land is, whether it be fat or lean. --Num.
xiii. 20.
Out of my lean and low ability I'll lend you
something. --Shak.
3. (Typog.) Of a character which prevents the compositor from
earning the usual wages; -- opposed to {fat}; as, lean
copy, matter, or type.
Syn: slender; spare; thin; meager; lank; skinny; gaunt.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Lean \Lean\ (l[=e]n), v. t. [Icel. leyna; akin to G. l["a]ugnen
to deny, AS. l[=y]gnian, also E. lie to speak falsely.]
To conceal. [Obs.] --Ray.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Lean \Lean\ (l[=e]n), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Leaned} (l[=e]nd),
sometimes {Leant} (l[e^]nt); p. pr. & vb. n. {Leaning}.] [OE.
lenen, AS. hlinian, hleonian, v. i.; akin to OS. hlin[=o]n,
D. leunen, OHG. hlin[=e]n, lin[=e]n, G. lehnen, L. inclinare,
Gr. kli`nein, L. clivus hill, slope. [root]40. Cf.
{Declivity}, {Climax}, {Incline}, {Ladder}.]
1. To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to
be in a position thus inclining or deviating; as, she
leaned out at the window; a leaning column. ``He leant
forward.'' --Dickens.
2. To incline in opinion or desire; to conform in conduct; --
with to, toward, etc.
They delight rather to lean to their old customs.
--Spenser.
3. To rest or rely, for support, comfort, and the like; --
with on, upon, or against.
He leaned not on his fathers but himself.
--Tennyson.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Lean \Lean\, n.
1. That part of flesh which consist principally of muscle
without the fat.
The fat was so white and the lean was so ruddy.
--Goldsmith.
2. (Typog.) Unremunerative copy or work.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Lean \Lean\, v. t. [From {Lean}, v. i.; AS. hl[=ae]nan, v. t.,
fr. hleonian, hlinian, v. i.]
To cause to lean; to incline; to support or rest. --Mrs.
Browning.
His fainting limbs against an oak he leant. --Dryden.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
lean
adj 1: lacking excess flesh; "you can't be too rich or too thin";
"Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look"-Shakespeare
[syn: {thin}] [ant: {fat}]
2: lacking in mineral content or combustible material; "lean
ore"; "lean fuel" [ant: {rich}]
3: containing little excess; "a lean budget"; "a skimpy
allowance" [syn: {skimpy}]
4: (metallurgy) low in mineral content; "a lean ore"
5: not profitable or prosperous; "a lean year"
n : the property possessed by a line or surface that departs
from the vertical; "the tower had a pronounced tilt";
"the ship developed a list to starboard"; "he walked with
a heavy inclination to the right" [syn: {tilt}, {list}, {inclination},
{leaning}]
v 1: to incline or bend from a vertical position; "She leaned
over the banister" [syn: {tilt}, {tip}, {slant}, {angle}]
2: cause to lean or incline; "He leaned his rifle against the
wall"
3: have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be
inclined; "She tends to be nervous before her lectures";
"These dresses run small"; "He inclined to corpulence"
[syn: {tend}, {be given}, {incline}, {run}]
4: rely on for support; "We can lean on this man"
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.