linnet

American  

[lin-it] / ˈlɪn ɪt /

noun

1. a small Old World finch, Carduelis cannabina.

2. any of various related birds, as the house finch.

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linnet British  

/ ˈlɪnɪt /

noun

1. a brownish Old World finch, Acanthis cannabina : the male has a red breast and forehead

2. Also called: house finch.  a similar and related North American bird, Carpodacus mexicanus

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Etymology

Origin of linnet

1520–30; earlier linet < Middle French (Walloon, Picard ) linette ( French linot, linotte ), derivative of lin flax ( line ¹; so named for its diet of flaxseeds); -et

Example Sentences

They provide habitat for red-listed farmland birds such as corn bunting, yellowhammer and linnet, as well as winter food for visiting species including fieldfares and redwings.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

Louder yet calmer than they, among the trees, sounded the yellowhammer, the linnet and greenfinch.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

A startled linnet fled from the whirling blades towards the rose-garden.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

It was well enough that the finch, the linnet, the chat and the sparrow, had plucked the cherries, sampled the plums, and had taken kindly to the mellow side of the pears.

From A Breeze from the Woods, 2nd Ed. by Bartlett, William Chauncey

The linnet has long gone to bed, close hidden under the whin bush.

From Kenneth McAlpine A Tale of Mountain, Moorland and Sea by Stables, Gordon