Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “linen” come from?

linen (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic līnīnaz, from Proto-Germanic līną, from Proto-Indo-European līno- — flax.

linen (Old English): linen", "made of flax

Definitions

  1. linen", "made of flax

Ancestry of “linen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germaniclīnīnazlinen, made of flax
2Proto-Germaniclīnąflax
3Proto-Indo-Europeanlīno-flax

Words derived from “linen”

  • linen
  • linendraper
  • bedlinen
  • underlinen
  • linenfold
  • lineny
  • linenette
  • linenlike
  • linenless
  • linener
  • nonlinen
  • linen closet
  • prelinen
  • linens
  • linsey-woolsey
  • linnen
  • lynen
  • lynnen
  • linen
Every word from Proto-Indo-European līno- →