flax
Americannoun
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any plant of the genus Linum, especially L. usitatissimum, a slender, erect, annual plant having narrow, lance-shaped leaves and blue flowers, cultivated for its fiber and seeds.
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the fiber of this plant, manufactured into linen yarn for thread or woven fabrics.
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any of various plants resembling flax.
noun
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any herbaceous plant or shrub of the genus Linum , esp L. usitatissimum , which has blue flowers and is cultivated for its seeds (flaxseed) and for the fibres of its stems: family Linaceae
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the fibre of this plant, made into thread and woven into linen fabrics
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any of various similar plants
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Also called: harakeke. a swamp plant producing a fibre that is used by Māoris for decorative work, baskets, etc
Etymology
Origin of flax
before 900; Middle English; Old English fleax; cognate with Dutch, Low German vlas, German Flachs
Vocabulary lists containing flax
Ancient Egypt - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
FLAX, found in the Swiss lake-dwellings. -climatal difference in products of.
From The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication — Volume 2 by Darwin, Charles
FLAX, or LINT-SEED.—Is grown for the purpose of making cloth, and has been considered a very profitable crop.
From The Botanist's Companion, Volume II by Salisbury, William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.