linen English · revision 982
11 Oct 2026, 04:02 by bogdan “New entry from the dictionary sources (AHD, Barnhart, Etymonline, MW, OED, RHWU, Wiktionary)” current version
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+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA: /ˈlɪnɪn/^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is [[inh|enm|linen]], [[inh|ang|līnen|t=made of flax]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) an adjective formed from ''līn'' “flax, linen” with the suffix ''-en'',^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) from [[gem-pro|*līną]],^(AHD)^(Etymonline) probably an early borrowing of [[la|līnum|t=flax]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) The Latin word and Greek ''línon'' probably come from a Mediterranean, non-Indo-European language.^(Etymonline) It is related to [[line]] and [[lingerie]].^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ As an adjective, made of flax (before 700).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ The adjective came to be used as a noun, “cloth woven from flax” (1362),^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) and then “garments or articles made of linen” (c. 1330).^(OED 1989) The collective sense of household articles such as sheets and tablecloths is from 1748,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and is now extended to similar articles of cotton or other fabrics.^(Etymonline)^(AHD)^(RHWU) The phrase ''to wash one's dirty linen in public'' means to discuss private scandals openly.^(RHWU)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * before 700 – adjective, made of flax.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)
+ * c. 1330 – linen garments or articles.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1362 – noun, cloth woven from flax.^(OED 1989)
+ * 1748 – ''linens'', linen goods; household textiles.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Modern meaning==
+ ===Noun===
+ # Cloth woven from fibres of the [[flax]] plant; also, thread made from these fibres.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # Articles made of linen or a similar cloth such as cotton, especially sheets, tablecloths and underclothes; often ''linens''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # Paper made from flax fibres or with a linen-like finish.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)
+
+ ===Adjective===
+ # Made of flax or linen.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)
+ # Resembling linen.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[linen closet]]
+ * [[linen draper]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[lingerie]]
+ * [[line]]
+ * [[linseed]]
+ * [[flax]]
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}