linen

American  

[lin-uhn] / ˈlɪn ən /

noun

• linens
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• underlinen
  noun
• half-linen
  adjective
• lineny
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• linens
  plural

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; see line ²) + -en -en ²

Explanation

Linen is a type of fabric that's sturdy, cool, and absorbent. If you're going to a summer wedding, you should consider wearing a white linen suit. If you're going on a job interview, it's probably not such a great idea. Linen is frequently used in summery dresses and shirts, curtains, bags, pillowcases and sheets, towels. and tablecloths. It's heavy and substantial but stays breathable and fresh when you wear it on a hot day. Linens is sometimes used to mean "bedding or towels," or the things you'd keep in a linen closet. Linen comes from the Old English word linin, "made of flax," from lin, "flax fibers or linen thread."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

linen linens

By examining genomic DNA embedded in the linen fibers, researchers produced the most detailed account yet of the biological material that accumulated on the cloth through centuries of handling and environmental exposure.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

I am now carrying a gorgeous straw tote and wearing linen that has somehow survived public transit without acquiring a wrinkle.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

"Orena", 40, from France, said she deliberately chose to make her outfit – Haku from Studios Ghibli’s animated movie "Spirited Away" – from linen and cotton to keep cool.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Much of the stitched masterpiece, which is actually coloured yarn embroidered on linen rather than a woven tapestry, is currently covered up in giant polyester sheeting, to protect it from light damage.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

“Do you know I like this room most of all in my baby house,” added Meg, a minute after, as they went upstairs and she looked into her well-stored linen closet.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

She still had the linens, socks and kitchen equipment of three functioning households.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 21, 2025

It was vaguely surreal, coming from the chaotic rebel energy of the Sliwa party into a sterile ballroom with white linens and several open bars serving endless glasses of house red and white wines.

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2025

They divorced several years later, but she kept his last name, partly because her mother hated the idea of wasting wedding gifts of monogrammed linens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025

One drawer was filled with linens hand-painted with birds.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2025

I flopped the tablecloth into the rinse tub and started in on a shift that had gotten mixed in with the table linens.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Related Words

• bedding
• cloth
• lingerie