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

He disappears upstairs and returns minutes later in a blonde wig, yellow polo with the collar popped and a white linen jacket—the costume of his alter ego, “Hall and Grits.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He opted for one that evokes “clean linen with a hint of tropical.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Costelloe often used traditional Irish fabrics and textiles in his designs, including Irish linen and tweed.

From BBC

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

From MarketWatch

His mother’s complexion turned white as the linen tablecloth.

From Literature

Related Words

• bedding
• cloth
• lingerie