Where does “lin” come from?
lin (Middle English) comes from Old English līn, from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic līnǭ, from Proto-Germanic līną, from Proto-Indo-European līno- — flax.
lin (Middle English): Alternative form of lyne
Ancestry of “lin”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | līn | flax, linen, cloth |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *līnā | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | līnǭ | that which is made of flax; line, chord, rope,... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | līną | flax |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | līno- | flax |