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leaning

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lean⋅ing

  [lee-ning]
–noun
inclination; tendency: strong literary leanings.
Use leaning in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME leninge, OE hlining. See lean 1 , -ing 1

Synonyms:
bent, propensity, proclivity, bias, penchant.
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lean

1  [leen] verb, leaned or (especially British) leant; lean⋅ing; noun
–verb (used without object)
1. to incline or bend from a vertical position: She leaned out the window.
2. to incline, as in a particular direction; slant: The post leans to the left. The building leaned sharply before renovation.
3. to incline in feeling, opinion, action, etc.: to lean toward socialism.
4. to rest against or on something for support: to lean against a wall.
5. to depend or rely (usually fol. by on or upon): someone he could lean on in an emergency.
–verb (used with object)
6. to incline or bend: He leaned his head forward.
7. to cause to lean or rest; prop: to lean a chair against the railing.
–noun
8. the act or state of leaning; inclination: The tower has a pronounced lean.
—Verb phrase
9. lean on, Informal.
a. to exert influence or pressure on in order to gain cooperation, maintain discipline, or the like: The state is leaning on the company to clean up its industrial wastes.
b. to criticize, reprimand, or punish: I would have enjoyed school more if the teachers hadn't leaned on me so much.
—Idiom
10. lean over backward(s). bend 1 (def. 20).
Origin:
bef. 900; ME lenen, OE hleonian, hlinian; c. G. lehnen; akin to L clīnāre to incline, Gk klnein
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To leaning
lean 1   (lēn)   
v.   leaned, lean·ing, leans

v.   intr.

  1. To bend or slant away from the vertical.

  2. To incline the weight of the body so as to be supported: leaning against the railing. See Synonyms at slant.

  3. To rely for assistance or support: Lean on me for help.

  4. To have a tendency or preference: a government that leans toward fascism.

  5. Informal To exert pressure: The boss is leaning on us to meet the deadline.

v.   tr.

  1. To set or place so as to be resting or supported.

  2. To cause to incline.

n.  A tilt or an inclination away from the vertical.

[Middle English lenen, from Old English hleonian; see klei- in Indo-European roots.]
lean·ing   (lē'nĭng)   
n.  An inclination, a tendency, or a preference. See Synonyms at predilection.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

lean  (adj.)
"thin, spare, with little flesh or fat," O.E. hlæne, possibly from hlænan "cause to lean or bend," from P.Gmc. *khlainijan, which would make it related to O.E. hleonian (see lean (v.)). But perhaps rather from a PIE *qloinio- (cf. Lith. klynas "scrap, fragment," Lettish kleins "feeble").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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