Where does “linnet” come from?
Linnet comes from Old French linette, a diminutive of Old French lin, meaning flax, referring to the bird's fondness for flax seeds.
linnet (English): A small passerine bird, the common linnet (Linaria cannabina syn. Carduelis cannabina), in the finch family Fringillidae, native to Europe, western Asia, and north Africa
Definitions
- A small passerine bird, the common linnet (Linaria cannabina syn. Carduelis cannabina), in the finch family Fringillidae, native to Europe, western Asia, and north Africa
Ancestry of “linnet”, step by step
linnet traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French linette
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | linette | grain of flax |
| 2 | Old French | lin | line |
| 3 | Latin | līnea | A linen thread |
| 4 | Latin | līnum | flax |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | līnom | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | līnom | flax |
via Old English līnete
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | līnete | linnet a type of bird |