Where does “lineament” come from?

Lineament comes from Middle French linéament, a term denoting a distinctive feature or characteristic of the face or body.

lineament (English): Any distinctive shape or line, etc; A distinctive...

Definitions

  1. Any distinctive shape or line, etc; A distinctive...

Ancestry of “lineament”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchlinéament
2Latinlineamentuma mark, line, stroke; features, lineaments;...
3LatinlīneaA linen thread
4Latinlīnumflax
5Proto-Italiclīnom
6Proto-Indo-Europeanlīnomflax

Words derived from “lineament

Every word from Proto-Indo-European līnomEvery word from Proto-Italic līnomEvery word from Latin līnum