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

We trek across the grass to a row of six tables covered in white linen and decorated with metallic confetti.

From Literature

Gifts here should improve daily life: nicer linens, a staycation, or an upgraded alarm clock to make hitting snooze more pleasant.

From The Wall Street Journal

Anything sturdier, a combed cotton or Egyptian linen, was a shirt in my book.

From Literature

Tolles crafted bespoke window treatments from secondhand materials: linen-like Roman blinds in the kitchen, white linen drapes on top of woven bamboo blinds on the patio doors and velvet drapes in the bedroom.

From Los Angeles Times

Lou Ann wrestles a large sleeping mat out of the linen closet and flips on a light in a room crowded with cribs and small sleeping mats.

From Literature

Related Words

• bedding
• cloth
• lingerie