lean

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Contents

English [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

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

Verb [edit]

lean (third-person singular simple present leans, present participle leaning, simple past and past participle leaned or leant (especially British))

  1. To hang outwards.
  2. To press against.
    • Dryden
      His fainting limbs against an oak he leant.
Derived terms [edit]
Related terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
to hang outwards
to press against
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Etymology 2 [edit]

From Middle English lene (“lean”), from Old English hlǣne (“lean”), perhaps from Old English hlǣnan (“to cause to lean", in the sense of "to cause to bend or lean due to hunger or lack of food”), from Proto-Germanic *hlainijaną (“to cause to lean”). If so, then related to Old English hlinian, hleonian (“to lean”).

Adjective [edit]

lean (comparative leaner, superlative leanest)

  1. (of a person) slim; not fleshy.
  2. (of meat) having little fat.
  3. Having little extra or little to spare.
    a lean budget
  4. Of a fuel-air mixture, having more air than is necessary to burn all of the fuel; more air- or oxygen- rich than necessary for a stoichiometric reaction.
Synonyms [edit]
Translations [edit]
being slim and muscular
of meat, having little fat
having little extra or little to spare
having more air than necessary to burn all the fuel

Verb [edit]

lean (third-person singular simple present leans, present participle leaning, simple past and past participle leaned)

  1. To thin out (a fuel-air mixture): to reduce the fuel flow into the mixture so that there is more air or oxygen.
    • 1938 July, Blaine and Dupont Miller, “Weather Hop”, Boy's Life, Boy Scouts of America, ISSN 0006-8608, page 25: 
      He leaned the mixture in an effort to cause a backfire through the carburetor, the generally accepted method of breaking the ice loose.
    • 2002 July, Tom Benenson, “Can Your Engine Run Too Lean?”, Flying, volume 129, number 7, ISSN 0015-4806, page 73: 
      Even the Pilot's Operating Handbooks (POH) for our training airplanes add to our paranoia with their insistence that we not lean the mixture until we're above 5000 feet density altitude.

See also [edit]

References [edit]

Anagrams [edit]

Galician [edit]

Verb [edit]

lean

  1. third-person plural present subjunctive of ler

Irish [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Old Irish lenaid (“stays, sticks (to), follows”), from Proto-Celtic *linā- (“stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ley- (“slimy”); compare Latin linō (“anoint”), Latin līmus (“mud, slime”), Sanskrit लिनाति (lināti, “sticks, stays”).

Pronunciation [edit]

Verb [edit]

lean (present analytic leanann, future analytic leanfaidh, verbal noun leanúint, past participle leanta)

  1. to follow

Conjugation [edit]

First Conjugation (A)
singular plural autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present leanaim leanann tú;
leanair†		 leanann sé, sí leanaimid leanann sibh leanann siad;
leanaid†		 leantar
past lean mé;
leanas†		 lean tú;
leanais†		 lean sé, sí leanamar lean sibh;
leanabhair†		 lean siad;
leanadar†		 leanadh
future leanfaidh mé;
leanfad†		 leanfaidh tú;
leanfair†		 leanfaidh sé, sí leanfaimid;
leanfam†		 leanfaidh sibh leanfaidh siad;
leanfaid†		 leanfar
past habitual leanainn leantá leanadh sé, sí leanaimis leanadh sibh leanaidís leantaí
imperative leanaim lean leanadh sé, sí leanaimis leanaigí leanaidís leantar
conditional leanfainn leanfá leanfadh sé, sí leanfaimis leanfadh sibh leanfaidís leanfaí
subjunctive present leana mé;
leanad†		 leana tú;
leanair†		 leana sé, sí leanaimid leana sibh leana siad;
leanaid†		 leantar
past leanainn leantá leanadh sé, sí leanaimis leanadh sibh leanaidís leantaí
verbal noun leanúint
past participle leanta

† Dialect form

Derived terms [edit]

Old English [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

  • IPA: /ˈlæːɑn/

Etymology 1 [edit]

From Proto-Germanic *launą, from a suffixed form of Proto-Indo-European *leh₂u- (“catch, plunder, profit”). Cognate with Old Frisian lān, Old Saxon lōn, Dutch loon, Old High German lōn (German Lohn), Old Norse laun (Swedish lön), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌿𐌽 (láun). The Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek λεία (from *λαϝία), Latin lucrum, Old Church Slavonic ловъ (Russian лов), Old Irish lóg, Lithuanian lãvinti.

Noun [edit]

lēan n (plural same)

  1. reward
Related terms [edit]

Etymology 2 [edit]

From Proto-Germanic *lahaną. Cognate with Old Saxon lahan, Old High German lahan, Old Norse lá, Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌰𐌽.

Verb [edit]

lēan (strong class VI) (third-person singular preterite lōg, third-person plural preterite lōgon)

  1. (transitive) to blame, find fault with, reproach

Scottish Gaelic [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Old Irish lenaid (“stays, sticks (to), follows”), from Proto-Celtic *linā- (“stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lei- (“slimy”); compare Latin linō (“anoint”), Sanskrit लिनाति (lināti, “sticks, stays”).

Pronunciation [edit]

Verb [edit]

lean (verbal noun leantainn or leanmhainn)

  1. to follow
  2. to continue, proceed
    An lean an droch aimsir? - Will the bad weather continue?

Derived terms [edit]

Spanish [edit]

Verb [edit]

lean (infinitive leer)

  1. Second-person plural (ustedes) imperative form of leer.
  2. Second-person plural (ustedes) present subjunctive form of leer.
  3. Third-person plural (ellos, ellas, also used with ustedes?) present subjunctive form of leer.

West Frisian [edit]

Noun [edit]

lean n

  1. wage, wages, salary
  2. reward

Example

  • "Frank Lloyd Wright hat de baan krigen en syn earste lean wie 25 dollar yn 'e wike." (For his first salary, Frank Lloyd Wright received 25 dollars per week.)
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