adj. & n.
adj. 1 (of a person or animal) thin; having no superfluous fat. 2 (of meat) containing little fat. 3 a meagre; of poor quality (lean crop). b not nourishing (lean diet). 4 unremunerative.
n. the lean part of meat. lean years years of scarcity. leanly adv. leanness n.
[ OE hlne f. Gmc ]