Where does “linseed” come from?
linseed (Middle English) comes from Old English līnsǣd, from Old English līn, from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic līnǭ, from Proto-Germanic līną, from Proto-Indo-European līno- — flax.
Ancestry of “linseed”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | līnsǣd | seed of flax |
| 2 | Old English | līn | flax, linen, cloth |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *līnā | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | līnǭ | that which is made of flax; line, chord, rope,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | līną | flax |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | līno- | flax |
Words derived from “linseed”