Forms: 1 hlǽne, 2–6 lene, 3 læne, 3, 6–7 lenne, 4 Kent. hlene, Sc. leine, leyne, 5 leen(e, 5–6 Sc. and north. leyn, 6– lean. [OE. hlǽne:—OTeut. type *hlainjo-, perh. repr. a pre-Teut. *qloinio-, related by ablaut to Lith. klýnas scrap, fragment, Lettish kleins feeble. (If so, the word is not related to LEAN v., the pre-Teut. initial of which is k, not q.)]
1. Wanting in flesh; not plump or fat; thin. Also said † of the flesh, and of a person’s condition, growth, appearance, etc.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gen. xli. 3. Oðre seofon oxan … þa wæron fule and swiðe hlæne.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 37. Þu scalt … festen swa þet þin licome beo þe lenre.
c. 1205. Lay., 19445. No durste þær bilæuen na þæ uatte no þe læne.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 118. Pellican is a leane fowel.
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 66/435. His lene bones he wolde drawe aȝein þe harde grounde.
1340. Ayenb., 53. Þou sselt ueste al huet Þou art bleche and lhene.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 83. So loked he with lene chekes lowrynge foule.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., ii. 112. My wynnyngis ar bot meyn, No wonder if that I be leyn.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XII. iv. 159. Wyth chekis walxin leyn.
1601. Shaks., Jul. C., I. ii. 194. Yond Cassius has a leane and hungry looke, He thinkes too much.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1776), III. 131. Their heads are small and lean, their ears little.
1784. Cowper, Tiroc., 656. The mere school-boy’s lean and tardy growth.
1844. Dickens, Mart. Chuz., liv. She had a lean lank body.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xii. III. 233. Nine horses were still alive, and but barely alive. They were so lean that little meat was likely to be found upon them.
1885. Manch. Exam., 17 March, 5/2. The beet-growers find a profitable trade in fatting lean stock brought into the country.
b. with personifications.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., IV. ii. 11. My three attendants, Leane Famine, quartering Steele, and climbing Fire.
1634. Milton, Comus, 709. Praising the lean and sallow Abstinence.
1835. Lytton, Rienzi, I. viii. Lean fears and hollow-eyed suspicions are the comrades of a hated power.
1840. Dickens, Old C. Shop, lxv. The great manufacturing town reeking with lean misery and hungry wretchedness.
c. Proverbial phrases.
c. 1386. Chaucer, C. T., Prol. 287. And leene was his hors as is a rake.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., I. i. 26. Fat paunches haue leane pates.
1611. Cotgr., s.v. Maigre, Maigres comme pies, as leane as Rakes (we say).
a. 1732. Gay, New Song on New Similies, Songs, etc. 1784, II. 115. Lean as a rake with sighs and care.
d. transf.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, III. lxix. 410. Trichomanes … hath the stalkes of his leaves very small and leane.
1588. Shaks., Tit. A., II. iii. 94. The Trees, though Sommer, yet forlorne and leane. Ibid. (1596), Merch. V., II. vi. 19. With ouer-wither’d ribs and ragged sailes, Leane, rent, and begger’d by the strumpet winde.
1606. Sir G. Goosecappe, I. i. in Bullen, O. Pl., III. 7. Theis two strange hungry knights [will] make the leanest trenchers that ever I waited on.
1693. C. Dryden in Dryden’s Juvenal, vii. (1697), 169. The lean Statue of a starv’d Renown.
1772. T. Simpson, Vermin-Killer, 18. The ears of the corn will be withered and lean.
1871. Rossetti, Poems, Even so, iii. The sea … Where the lean black craft Seem well-nigh stagnated.
e. Shipbuilding. = CLEAN a. 10 b; ‘sharp’: opposed to bluff.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1780), G 3. The former of these is called by seamen a lean, and the latter a bluff bow.
1874. Thearle, Naval Archit., 17. The lean or acute portions of the bow and stern of the ship between the extremities and the line of the inside of the timbers.
2. fig. Poor or meager in quantity or quality; slight, mean. Somewhat arch. Of diet: Poor, innutritious. Of employment (colloq.): Unremunerative.
c. 1325. Poem times Edw. II. (Percy), xliii. He wild … gyf the god man to drink Lene broth that is nowȝt.
c. 1400. Pride of Life (Brandl, 1898), 395. Þing … yat þou art lenust man … & euirmor hau þout opon þi dredful ending.
a. 1420. Hoccleve, Let. Cupid, 407. Her heped vertu hath swich excellence That al to lene is mannes facultee To declare it.
1581. Mulcaster, Positions, xli. (1887), 250. The liuings in colledges be now to to leane.
1594. T. B., La Primaud. Fr. Acad., II. 561. As for that consolation [against death] … it is very leane if there be no other.
1601. Shaks., Twel. N., III. iv. 378. Out of my leane and low ability Ile lend you something.
1637. Milton, Lycidas, 123. Their lean and flashy songs Grate on their scrannel Pipes of wretched straw.
1744–50. W. Ellis, Mod. Husbandm., II. 5. That would … cause the Farmer a lean crop, instead of a fat one, as the usual terms are.
1784. Cowper, Task, VI. 905. With lean performance ape the work of love.
1850. Prescott, Peru, II. 316. Their miserable carcases furnished a lean banquet for the famishing travellers.
1875. Sussex Gloss., s.v., ‘Ah sir! stone-breaking’s a lean job for those that ain’t used to it.’
1890. F. M. Crawford, Cigarette-maker’s Rom., iv. An exceedingly lean diet.
3. Of flesh: Containing little or no fat (as distinguished from muscular tissue).
c. 1430. Two Cookery-bks., 28. Take lene Porke, and boyle it.
1496. Fysshynge w. Angle (1883), 33. Lene flesshe of the hepis of a cony or of a catte.
1744. Armstrong, Art Pres. Health, II. (1797), 25. Chuse leaner viands.
1747. Mrs. Glasse, Cookery, iv. 59. Then cut the lean Meat off the Legs into Dice.
1837. M. Donovan, Dom. Econ., II. 61. The flesh of monkeys is so lean and dry, that [etc.].
1845. Budd, Dis. Liver, 244. If he will … live chiefly on lean meat … and drink water.
4. Wanting in rich elements or qualities. Said, e.g., of soils, limestone, mortar, † water, etc. Now somewhat rare.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxvii. (Machor), 987. He … gert teill a mekill feild of land … It was leyne & dry.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., V. 6. Hit dongeth londes lene, & beestes lorn ffor lene hit fedeth vp.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb., § 20. Hawdod … groweth comonly in rye vpon leane grounde.
a. 1592. Greene, Jas. IV., V. i. Lands are leane where riuers do not runne.
1683. Tryon, Way to Health, vi. (1697), 104. Such Springs … are of a lean Saturnine Quality.
1684. T. Burnet, Theory Earth, I. v. 55. Seeing there are two chief kinds of Terrestrial liquors, those that are fat, oily, and light; and those that are lean and more Earthy, like common Water.
1686. Plot, Staffordsh., 356. Esteemed but a lean hard water.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., II. 293. The coarse lean Gravel, on the Mountain sides, Scarce dewy Bev’rage for the Bees provides.
1703. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., 241. Lime … made of greasy clammy Stone, is stronger than that made of lean poor Stone.
1726. Leoni, Alberti’s Archit., I. 49/1. For small Stones, a thick lean Mortar is best.
1781. Cowper, Truth, 364. As leanest land supplies the richest wine.
a. 1817. T. Dwight, Trav. New Eng., etc. (1821), II. 358. We rode through a country rough, lean, and solitary.
1899. H. Sutcliffe, By Moor & Fell, i. 4. Above the houses a few lean fields slope up to the heather line.
5. Scantily furnished, ill provided. † Also, scant of, wanting in.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, xxi. 32. My saule, þat is lene of couaitis & riches.
1552. T. Barnabe, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., Ser. II. II. 200. The cuntry of Kent … is verye lene of men by the see syde.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., I. ii. 82. Yea, for obtaining of suites, whereof the Hangman hath no leane Wardrobe.
1623. St. Papers Col. 1622–4. 183. Cash is very lene.
1652. J. Wadsworth, trans. Sandoval’s Civ. Wars Spain, 69. Leaving the Countrie lean, poor, and dismantled of all it’s fruits and wealth.
1654. trans. Martini’s Conq. China, 69. That Province which used to be most plentifull, was lean in Corn.
1677. Yarranton, Eng. Impr., 28. Scotland is a thin and lean Kingdom, and wanting in these things.
1784. Cowper, Task, II. 615. Dress drains our cellar dry, And keeps our larder lean.
1878. B. Taylor, Deukalion, I. iv. 37. My purse is lean, so rarely comes an obolus.
b. Of seasons, etc.: Characterized by scarcity.
1670. Dryden, 1st Pt. Conq. Granada, I. i. (1672), 5. Lean times and foreign Warrs should minds unite.
1890. Spectator, 5 April, 463/2. Sir J. Lubbock … evidently believes that the cycle of lean years has fairly passed.
6. Printing. In various uses. (See quots.)
1676. Moxon, Print Lett., 7. Lean strokes are the narrow strokes in a Letter, as the Left Hand stroke in Letter A, and the Right Hand stroke in V, are Lean. Ibid. (1683), Mech. Exerc., Printing, 369. Beat Lean, is to Take but little Inck, and often: all Small Letter must be Beaten Lean. Ibid., 383. Lean Ashes, Founders call their Ashes Lean, if they are Light; because then they have little Mettle in them. Lean Face, a Letter whose stems and other Stroaks have not their full width.
1841. W. Savage, Dict. Printing, Lean Face … As now understood, a letter of slender proportions compared to its height. [Cf. lean-faced in 7.]
1871. Amer. Encycl. Printing (ed. Ringwalt), Lean work, the opposite of fat work—that is, poor unprofitable work.
7. Comb. chiefly parasynthetic, as lean-chapt, -cheeked, -eared, -faced, -fleshed, -horned, -jawed, -looked, -looking, -minded, -necked, -ribbed, -souled, -visaged, -witted adjs.; † lean-kinded a., belonging to the lean kind.
1621. Quarles, Argalus & P. (1678), 25. From whom, What *lean-chapt Fury did I snatch thee from?
1812. W. Tennant, Anster Fair, II. lii. *Lean-cheek’d tetchy critics.
1602. 2nd Pt. Return fr. Parnass., V. iv. 2232. His long *leane eard lugges.
1590. Shaks., Com. Err., V. i. 237. A hungry *lean fac’d Villaine.
1855. Ogilvie, Suppl. Lean-faced..., Among printers, applied to letters which have not their full breadth.
1535. Coverdale, Gen. xli. 3. Other seuen kyne … which were euell fauoured and *leane fleshed.
1648. Herrick, Hesper., Parting Verses to Wife (1869), 188. Not many full-fac’t moons shall waine, *Lean-horn’d, before [etc.].
1678. Dryden & Lee, Œdipus, IV. i. *Lean-jawed famine.
1601. J. Harrington, Lett., in Nugæ Antiq. (1779), II. 64. Many *lean kinded beastes and some not unhorned.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., II. iv. 11. And *leane-look’d Prophets Whisper fearefull change.
1748. W. Hamilton, Ode to Fancy. In Merits lean look’d form t’ appear.
1713. Rowe, Jane Shore, I. ii. 9. *Lean-looking sallow Care.
1866. Carlyle, Remin., I. 82. A *lean-minded controversial spirit.
1608. Armin, Nest Ninn., 33. The *leane-neckt crane, who had the fat foxe to dinner.
a. 1845. Hood, Lamia, vii. 82. *Lean-ribbed tigers.
1638. Ford, Lady’s Trial, III. i. Poor *lean-soul’d rogues.
1686. Lond. Gaz., No. 2159/4. He is pretty tall, black hair, *lean-visag’d.
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., II. i. 115. A lunatike *leane-witted foole.
B. sb.
1. The lean part of anything; lean meat.
c. 1450. ME. Med. Bk. (Heinrich), 121. [T]ake a peece of salt beof, Þe lene, & noon of þe fat.
1598. Epulario, C ij b. Take the leane of a legge of Veale.
16[?]. in Wood’s Life (O.H.S.), II. 6, note. Some fat to my leane, John Haywood, I say some fat to my leane.
1670. Ray, Prov., 211. Jack Sprat he loved no fat, and his wife she lov’d no lean: And yet betwixt them both, they lick’t the platters clean.
1771. Goldsm., Haunch of Venison, 4. The fat was so white and the lean was so ruddy. Ibid. (1774), Nat. Hist. (1776), VI. 210. The lean, which they boil, is, in his opinion not inferior to beef.
1848. Chambers’ Inform. People, I. 730/1. The lean of bacon is rendered more difficult of digestion by the same process.
b. The flesh adhering to the blubber of a whale.
1887. [see LEAN v.2].
1888. W. T. Brannt, Anim. & Veg. Fats & Oils, 297. Any flesh, termed lean or fat lean, that may adhere to the horse pieces is cut off.
2. Printing. † a. A thin part or stroke of a letter. b. ‘Among printers, ill-paid work’ (Ogilvie, 1882). Cf. FAT sb. 5 b.
1683. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., Printing, ii. 92. V. Dijcks Pearl Dutch Letters … bear such true proportion … for the Thickness, Shape, Fats and Leans, as if with Compasses he could have measur’d … every particular Member.
