Main Entry: ³lean

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English lene, from Old English hlǣne

Date: before 12th century

1 a : lacking or deficient in flesh b : containing little or no fat <lean meat>
2 : lacking richness, sufficiency, or productiveness <lean profits> <the lean years>
3 : deficient in an essential or important quality or ingredient: as a of ore : containing little valuable mineral b : low in combustible component —used especially of fuel mixtures
4 : characterized by economy (as of style, expression, or operation)

— lean·ly adverb

— lean·ness \ˈlēn-nəs\ noun

synonyms lean, spare, lank, lanky, gaunt, rawboned, scrawny, skinny mean thin because of an absence of excess flesh. lean stresses lack of fat and of curving contours <a lean racehorse>. spare suggests leanness from abstemious living or constant exercise <the gymnast's spare figure>. lank implies tallness as well as leanness <the lank legs of the heron>. lanky suggests awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness <a lanky youth, all arms and legs>. gaunt implies marked thinness or emaciation as from overwork or suffering <a prisoner's gaunt face>. rawboned suggests a large ungainly build without implying undernourishment <a rawboned farmer>. scrawny and skinny imply an extreme leanness that suggests deficient strength and vitality <a scrawny chicken> <skinny street urchins>.