Where does “lean” come from?
Lean comes from Old Norse leyna, from Proto-Germanic laugnijaną, from Proto-Indo-European ḱley-, ultimately from ḱel-.
lean (English): To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical...
Definitions
- To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical...
Ancestry of “lean”, step by step
lean traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English gasoline
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gasoline | A flammable liquid consisting of a mixture of... |
| 2 | English | -ine | Of or pertaining to; Used to form demonyms;... |
| 3 | French | -ine | feminine singular of -in; female equivalent of... |
| 4 | French | -é | past participle root verb suffix of regular -er... |
| 5 | Middle French | -é | past participle root verb suffix of regular; -ed, -en, -n |
| 6 | Old French | -é | used to form past participles of regular -er... |
| 7 | Latin | -a | suffixed to the roots of verbs, forms agent... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -ā | Forms masculine agent nouns from prefixed or compounded bases |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂ | — |
via Middle English lenen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lenen | to lean |
| 2 | Old English | lǣnan | to lend; give, grant, lease |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | laihnijan | to loan, lend |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | laihnijaną | to loan, lend |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | laihną | that which is lent, loan; fief |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leykʷ- | to leave |
via Chinese 林
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese | 林 | — |