linnet

[ lin-it ]
/ ˈlɪn ɪt /

noun

a small Old World finch, Carduelis cannabina.
any of various related birds, as the house finch.

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Origin of linnet

1520–30; earlier linet < Middle French (Walloon, Picard) linette (French linot, linotte), derivative of lin flax (cf. line1; so named for its diet of flaxseeds); see -et

Words nearby linnet

linnaean, linnaeus, linnaeus, carolus, linnean, linnean classification, linnet, linnet hole, linney, linnhe, lino, lino tile
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for linnet

British Dictionary definitions for linnet

linnet
/ (ˈlɪnɪt) /

noun

a brownish Old World finch, Acanthis cannabina : the male has a red breast and forehead
Also called: house finch a similar and related North American bird, Carpodacus mexicanus

Word Origin for linnet

C16: from Old French linotte, ultimately from Latin līnum flax (because the bird feeds on flaxseeds)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012