lintwhite
[ lint-hwahyt, -wahyt ]
nounChiefly Scot.
the linnet, Carduelis cannabina.
Origin of lintwhite
1before 900; lint (syncopated variant of linnet) + white; replacing Middle English lynkwhytte, alteration (perhaps by association with link hill (see links) and whit) of Old English līnetwige linnet, literally, flax (or flax-field) trouble-maker, so called because the bird pecks out and eats flaxseed, equivalent to līnet- (<Medieval Latin līnētum flax-field) + -wige, feminine of wiga fighter
Words Nearby lintwhite
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for lintwhite
lintwhite
/ (ˈlɪntˌwaɪt) /
noun
archaic, or poetic, mainly Scot the linnet
Origin of lintwhite
1Old English līnetwige, probably from līn flax + -twige, perhaps related to Old High German zwigon to pluck
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
Browse