- lean (v.)
- O.E. hleonian "to bend, recline, lie down, rest," from P.Gmc. *khlinen (cf. O.S. hlinon, O.Fris. lena, M.Du. lenen, Ger. lehnen "to lean"), from PIE base *kli- "to lean, to incline" (cf. Skt. srayati "leans," sritah "leaning;" O.Pers. cay "to lean;" Lith. slyti "to slope," slieti "to lean;" L. clinare "to lean, bend," clivus "declivity," inclinare "cause to bend," declinare "bend down, turn aside;" Gk. klinein "to cause to slope, slant, incline;" O.Ir. cloin "crooked, wrong;" M.Ir. cle, Welsh cledd "left," lit. "slanting;" Welsh go-gledd "north," lit. "left" -- for similar sense evolution, see Yemen, Benjamin, southpaw). Meaning "to incline the body against something for support" is mid-13c. Figurative sense of "to trust for support" is from early 13c. Sense of "to lean toward mentally, to favor" is from late 14c. Colloquial to lean on "put pressure on" (someone) is first recorded 1960.
- lean (adj.)
- "thin, spare, with little flesh or fat," O.E. hlæne, possibly from hlænan "cause to lean or bend," from P.Gmc. *khlainijan, which would make it related to O.E. hleonian (see lean (v.)). But perhaps rather from a PIE *qloinio- (cf. Lith. klynas "scrap, fragment," Lettish kleins "feeble").