Past tense of lean; inclined or rested against something, or bent from a vertical position.
From Old English 'hleonian,' of Germanic origin. The -t ending is the archaic past tense marker; modern English simplified it to 'leaned.' Both 'leant' and 'leaned' remain valid, with 'leant' more common in British English.
The verb 'lean' is split between two pronunciations in modern English—you can say 'leaned' (American) or 'leant' (British), and linguists see this as regular language variation, not error. Same with 'burnt/burned' and 'learnt/learned.' It shows English still evolving.
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