linen

American  

[lin-uhn] / ˈlɪn ən /

noun

1. fabric woven from flax yarns.

2. Often linens. bedding, tablecloths, shirts, etc., made of linen cloth or a more common substitute, as cotton.

3. yarn made of flax fiber.

4. thread made of flax yarns.

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adjective

1. made of linen.

   a linen jacket.

idioms

1. wash one's dirty linen in public, to discuss in public one's private scandals, disagreements, or difficulties.

linen British  

/ ˈlɪnɪn /

noun

1. 1. a hard-wearing fabric woven from the spun fibres of flax

   2. ( as modifier )

      a linen tablecloth

2. yarn or thread spun from flax fibre

3. clothes, sheets, tablecloths, etc, made from linen cloth or from a substitute such as cotton

4. See linen paper

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linen More Idioms  

1. see wash one's dirty linen in public.

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Other Word Forms

• half-linen adjective
• lineny adjective
• underlinen noun

Etymology

Origin of linen

before 900; Middle English lin ( n ) en (noun, adj.), Old English linnen, līnen (adj.) made of flax, equivalent to līn flax (< Latin līnum; line ² ) + -en -en ²

Example Sentences

I was not even a little surprised at the stack of linens and clothes on the couch when I got home from my summer job at Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In.

From Literature

I clean the house, reorganize the linen closet, teach myself how to fold fitted sheets.

From Literature

During Greco-Roman times, Egyptian artists were called upon to inscribe funerary spells on linen mummy bandages.

From The Wall Street Journal

Anna May strode into the service area, sporting a turquoise linen blouse with wide-cut sleeves and a close-fitting hat with an arching brim.

From Literature

We huddle around my phone as I show him images of Bad Bunny in the music video “NUEVAYoL” and Don Johnson in a pastel linen suit from an episode of “Miami Vice.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bedding
• cloth
• lingerie