leanest

1. 1
   adjective

   Superlative of lean.

   The butcher pointed out the leanest portion of the brisket.

   These are the leanest months for the small farm, before the harvest comes in.

   Note

   A regular superlative, built by adding -est, and it reaches every sense the adjective has. The leanest cut carries the least fat, the leanest months leave the least to spare, and the leanest operation runs with the least waste. It normally follows the or a possessive (her leanest year). Don't confuse it with the archaic verb form, thou leanest, which shares the spelling but belongs to lean meaning 'incline'.

2. 2
   verbarchaic

   Second-person singular simple present indicative of lean.

   Note

   The -est ending that went with thou: thou leanest, just as thou goest or thou hast. It can carry any meaning of the verb, so thou leanest on a friend, toward an opinion, or against a wall. Today it sounds deliberately old-fashioned, and ordinary modern English says you lean. Its match with the superlative adjective is only a coincidence of endings.

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