Lean has 18 different meanings across 4 categories:
Noun · Verb · Adjective · Proper Noun
the property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the vertical
"the tower had a pronounced tilt"
"the ship developed a list to starboard"
"he walked with a heavy inclination to the right"
An inclination away from the vertical.
"After getting caught up in the trend at a Atlanta house party, Marcus decided to try lean for the first time despite knowing its dangerous reputation."
Meat with no fat on it.
A recreational drug based on codeine-laced promethazine cough syrup, popular in the hip hop community in the southeastern United States.
In plain English: A lean is an area of meat that has very little fat on it.
"She picked up her purse and gave him an encouraging lean before turning to leave."
To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.
"The detective leaned his body forward to hide his smile from the suspect."
To thin out (a fuel-air mixture): to reduce the fuel flow into the mixture so that there is more air or oxygen.
To conceal.
In plain English: To lean means to rest your weight against something so you are not standing straight up on both feet by yourself.
"She leaned against the wall to rest her back for a moment."
Usage: Use "lean" as an intransitive verb when describing something tilting away from the upright position without needing a direct object. When referring specifically to engine tuning, it means reducing fuel flow relative to air intake rather than physically bending.
Slim; not fleshy.
"The young puppy had a lean frame that showed every bone beneath its short fur."
A surname.
"Mr. Lean invited his neighbors to the garden party last weekend."
The word "lean" comes from Old English hleonian, which originally meant to recline or rest. Its roots trace back through Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European to a common ancestor shared by words like German lehnen and the English word climate.