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leanness - 3 dictionary results
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lean

2  [leen] adjective, -er, -est, noun
Use leanness in a Sentence
–adjective
1. (of persons or animals) without much flesh or fat; not plump or fat; thin: lean cattle.
2. (of edible meat) containing little or no fat.
3. lacking in richness, fullness, quantity, etc.; poor: a lean diet; lean years.
4. spare; economical: a lean prose style.
5. Automotive. (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively low ratio of fuel to air (contrasted with rich ).
6. (of paint) having more pigment than oil. Compare fat (def. 12).
7. Nautical. (of a bow) having fine lines; sharp.
8. Metallurgy. (of ore) having a low mineral content; low-grade.
–noun
9. the part of flesh that consists of muscle rather than fat.
10. the lean part of anything.
11. Typesetting. matter that is difficult to set because of complexity or intermixed fonts. Compare fat (def. 23).
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME lene, OE hlǣne

Related forms:
leanly, adverb
leanness, noun

Synonyms:
1. skinny, lank, lanky. See thin. 3. sparse, barren, unfruitful, jejune.

Antonyms:
1, 2. fat. 3. fruitful.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To leanness
lean 2   (lēn)   
adj.   lean·er, lean·est
  1. Not fleshy or fat; thin.
  2. Containing little or no fat.
    1. Not productive or prosperous; meager: lean years.
    2. Containing little excess or waste; spare: a lean budget.
    3. Thrifty in management; economical: "Company leaders know their industries must be lean to survive" (Christian Science Monitor).
  4. Metallurgy Low in mineral contents: lean ore.
    Chemistry Lacking in combustible material: lean fuel.
n.  Meat with little or no fat.

[Middle English lene, from Old English hlǣne.]
lean'ly adv., lean'ness n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean lacking excess flesh. Lean emphasizes absence of fat: fattened the lean cattle for market.
Spare sometimes suggests trimness and good muscle tone: "an old man, very tall and spare, with an ascetic aspect" (William H. Mallock).
Skinny and scrawny imply unattractive thinness, as with undernourishment: The child has skinny legs with prominent knees. "He [had] a long, scrawny neck that rose out of a very low collar" (Winston Churchill).
Lank describes one who is thin and tall, and lanky one who is thin, tall, and ungraceful: "He was . . . exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders" (Washington Irving). The boy had developed into a lanky adolescent.
Rawboned suggests a thin, bony, gangling build: a rawboned cowhand.
Gaunt implies boniness and a haggard appearance; it may suggest illness or hardship: a white-haired pioneer, her face gaunt from overwork.
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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Leanness

Lean"ness\, n. [AS. hl[=ae]nnes.] The condition or quality of being lean.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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