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lean ~ lean

[the same pronunciation]

“Lean”, a verb — lean – leant/leaned – leant/leaned – leaning, means ‘to rest oneself in a particular position of the  body; to take support of something or someone; something not in a straight way; to bend’,

e.g.

She leaned forward to hear when he spoke in a soft voice.

The old man leaned against the wall and rested for a while.

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“Lean” (adjective) means ‘(of a person or an animal) without much muscle or fat (very thin) and looks taller; something without much value’; and as a noun, it means ‘the degree or amount of leaning; the part of a cooked or raw meat without fat’,

e.g.

That girl looks lean; she needs to eat good food.

Most heart patients are advised to eat lean meat.

Monsoon days are lean days for most businesses.

{“Slim” (adjective) also means ‘(of people) not very thin but not very fat – good looking, proportionate (attractive) body’.  “Lean” has a negative connotation, where as ‘slim’ denotes a positive connotation.  For example, ‘She swims every morning to keep her body slim.}

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