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linen

Etymology and origin of the English word linen

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈlɪnɪn/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English linen, inherited from Old English līnen (“made of flax”),[2][3][4][5][6] an adjective formed from līn “flax, linen” with the suffix -en,[3][4][6] from Proto-Germanic *līną,[2][4] probably an early borrowing of Latin līnum (“flax”).[2][3][4][5][6] The Latin word and Greek línon probably come from a Mediterranean, non-Indo-European language.[4] It is related to line and lingerie.[6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

As an adjective, made of flax (before 700).[7][3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective came to be used as a noun, “cloth woven from flax” (1362),[7][4] and then “garments or articles made of linen” (c. 1330).[7] The collective sense of household articles such as sheets and tablecloths is from 1748,[4][7] and is now extended to similar articles of cotton or other fabrics.[4][2][6] The phrase to wash one's dirty linen in public means to discuss private scandals openly.[6]

Timeline

  • before 700 – adjective, made of flax.[7][3]
  • c. 1330 – linen garments or articles.[7]
  • 1362 – noun, cloth woven from flax.[7]
  • 1748 – linens, linen goods; household textiles.[7][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Cloth woven from fibres of the flax plant; also, thread made from these fibres.
  2. Articles made of linen or a similar cloth such as cotton, especially sheets, tablecloths and underclothes; often linens.
  3. Paper made from flax fibres or with a linen-like finish.

Adjective

  1. Made of flax or linen.
  2. Resembling linen.

Word family

  • linen closet
  • linen draper
  • lingerie
  • line
  • linseed
  • flax

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • henchman · also from Old English
  • smock · also from Old English
  • clue · also from Old English
  • gossip · also from Old English
  • nostril · also from Old English
  • silly · also from Old English
  • nickname · also from Old English
  • ghost · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Linen.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/linen. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·