lean

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈliːn/ See IPA manual

Freq #4547

Meanings

1

verb
To bend or move your body into a sloping position.

The child leaned over the railing to wave below.
2

verb
To rest against something for support.

She leaned the ladder against the wall.
3

verb
To rely on someone or something for support or help.

You can always lean on your friends in hard times.
4

adj
Thin and fit, with little fat.

He stayed lean by running every morning.
5

adj
Having little of something; not productive or plentiful.

The business went through a lean year.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with lean

lean on Prepositional verb B1

to rely on someone for help or emotional support

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to bend or move your body... tilt incline

3 verb · to rely on someone or... depend rely

5 adj · having little of something;... meagre

Word family

Forms leanedleanerleanestleansleant

Derived forms forward-leaninglean-backlean-burnlean-tolean-wittedleanerleaningleanishleanlyleannessleansomeleany

Related forms climate cline

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

lean on
to rely on someone for help or emotional support

Verb + preposition/particle

Simplified etymology

Lean represents two unrelated words, both inherited from Old English. The verb meaning “be in a sloping position” shares a root with Latin clinare and is related to incline, decline, and recline; the adjective meaning “thin” or “lacking fat” has a separate Old English origin.

Etymology

From Middle English lenen (“to lean”), from Old English hleonian, hlinian (“to lean, recline, lie down, rest”), from Proto-West Germanic *hlinēn, from Proto-Germanic *hlināną (“to lean, incline”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley-. Cognate via Proto-Germanic with Middle Dutch leunen (“to lean”), German lehnen (“to lean”); via Proto-Indo-European with climate, cline.

*ḱley- Proto-Indo-European lenen Middle English hleonian Old English *hlinēn Proto-West Germanic *hlināną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# lean

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈliːn/
**Frequency rank:** 4547

## Meanings
1. To bend or move your body into a sloping position.
2. To rest against something for support.
3. To rely on someone or something for support or help.
4. Thin and fit, with little fat.
5. Having little of something; not productive or plentiful.

## Examples
- The child leaned over the railing to wave below.
- She leaned the ladder against the wall.
- You can always lean on your friends in hard times.
- He stayed lean by running every morning.
- The business went through a lean year.

## Derived Forms
- forward-leaning
- lean-back
- lean-burn
- lean-to
- lean-witted
- leaner
- leaning
- leanish
- leanly
- leanness
- leansome
- leany

## Related Forms
- climate
- cline

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ḱley-
- Root: lenen
- Root: hleonian
- Root: *hlinēn
- Root: *hlināną

## Etymology
From Middle English lenen (“to lean”), from Old English hleonian, hlinian (“to lean, recline, lie down, rest”), from Proto-West Germanic *hlinēn, from Proto-Germanic *hlināną (“to lean, incline”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley-. Cognate via Proto-Germanic with Middle Dutch leunen (“to lean”), German lehnen (“to lean”); via Proto-Indo-European with climate, cline.

## AI Etymology
Lean comes from Middle English lenen (“to lean”), from Old English hleonian, hlinian (“to lean, recline, lie down, rest”), from Proto-West Germanic *hlinēn, from Proto-Germanic *hlināną (“to lean, incline”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley-. Cognate via Proto-Germanic with Middle Dutch leunen (“to lean”), German lehnen (“to lean”); via Proto-Indo-European with climate, cline.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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