linen
fabric woven from flax yarns.
Often linens. bedding, tablecloths, shirts, etc., made of linen cloth or a more common substitute, as cotton.
yarn made of flax fiber.
thread made of flax yarns.
made of linen: a linen jacket.
Idioms about linen
wash one's dirty linen in public, to discuss in public one's private scandals, disagreements, or difficulties.
Origin of linen
1Other words from linen
- lin·en·y, adjective
- half-linen, adjective
- un·der·lin·en, noun
Words Nearby linen
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use linen in a sentence
The launch is all linen, and includes tops and bottoms and a house dress for women as well.
The Best New Launches From Parachute, Omsom, and More | Daniel Modlin | July 30, 2021 | The Daily BeastHe carefully began cutting through the old linen, and then stopped.
It may be time for museums to return Egyptian mummies to their coffins | Purbita Saha | June 28, 2021 | Popular-ScienceSeveral nearby shops and restaurants contributed to the event by delivering plates and utensils, flowers, linens, and other decorations to spruce up the space.
A fire halted a wedding. So a tiny island community came together to make a new one. | Sydney Page | June 24, 2021 | Washington PostThe combination of gray and yellow has been used in linens and fabrics for several years, albeit in softer hues, so while the stronger hues have been updated for 2021, I don’t find them fresh or exciting anymore.
At dinner, you’re sitting down at a table with linens and introducing yourself to the people next to you.
Davis jumped over a 4-foot porch wall and ran into a house, where he and others crammed themselves into a linen closet.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis | Nina Strochlic | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDe la Renta did design some stuff for Kennedy too—notably, one perfect belted sheath in crisp white linen.
How Oscar de la Renta Created First Lady Fashion | Raquel Laneri | October 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe edges of the elegant paper are crackled; the ink bled into the linen weave long ago and has not faded.
He moves her with no more concern for her condition than if she were a bag of dirty linen left behind by housekeeping.
Ray Rice Should Have Remembered His 'Kindness' Anti-Bullying Wristband | Michael Daly | September 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Better to wash dirty linen in public than have it grow mildew in a dark cupboard,” a party insider told The Daily Beast.
A Sleaze Civil War Engulfs Britain’s Liberal Democrats | Nico Hines | January 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey all wore very large linen collars and black cravats, which gave them a very serious appearance.
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. CarrylSergeant Burton knelt down and gingerly laid his hand upon the stained linen over the breast of Sir Lucien.
Dope | Sax RohmerMost of the farmers wore linen dusters and broad straw hats, but their women had put on all their finery.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonIn one of ole Miss's bureau drawers was a large plain linen handkerchief which was never used.
The Cromptons | Mary J. HolmesA lace collar will look as badly over a chintz dress, as a linen one would with velvet, though each may be perfect of its kind.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley
British Dictionary definitions for linen
/ (ˈlɪnɪn) /
a hard-wearing fabric woven from the spun fibres of flax
(as modifier): a linen tablecloth
yarn or thread spun from flax fibre
clothes, sheets, tablecloths, etc, made from linen cloth or from a substitute such as cotton
See linen paper
Origin of linen
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with linen
see wash one's dirty linen in public.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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