Where does “line” come from?

line (Middle English) comes from Old English līne, from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic līnǭ, from Proto-Germanic līną, from Proto-Indo-European līno- — flax.

line (Middle English): rope, cord; line, rule, ruler, measure; rule,...

Definitions

  1. rope, cord; line, rule, ruler, measure; rule,...

Ancestry of “line”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishlīneline, rope, cord; line, cable, rope, hawser,...
2Proto-West Germanic*līnāline, chord, rope, string
3Proto-Germaniclīnǭthat which is made of flax; line, chord, rope,...
4Proto-Germaniclīnąflax
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlīno-flax

Words derived from “line”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European līno- →Every word from Proto-Germanic līną →Every word from Proto-Germanic līnǭ →