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