Tilting or bending your body against something for support, or being inclined toward a particular opinion or direction.
From Old English 'hlinian' meaning to recline or lean. Related to Old Norse 'hlina,' both possibly connected to an ancient root meaning 'to bend.' The figurative meaning of 'leaning toward an idea' developed naturally from the physical meaning of tilting.
We use 'leaning' the same way for both physical tilting and for almost deciding on something—'I'm leaning toward the blue one'—because literally leaning toward something is the first step before committing!
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