linum

American  

[lahy-nuhm] / ˈlaɪ nəm /

noun

1. any of numerous plants of the genus Linum, including flax, L. usitatissimum, and various other species grown as ornamentals.

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linum British  

/ ˈlaɪnəm /

noun

1. any plant of the annual or perennial genus Linum, of temperate regions, esp L. grandiflorum, from N Africa, cultivated for its showy red or blue flowers: family Linaceae See also flax

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Etymology

Origin of linum

< New Latin (Linnaeus); Latin līnum flax

Example Sentences

At a meeting of the Royal Society in 1676 a merchant from China exhibited a handkerchief of “salamander’s wool,” or linum asbesti.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various

The seeds, such as stock, nasturtium, linum, phlox, and sweet pea, are doing well in the garden.

From Three Years in Tristan da Cunha by Barrow, Katherine Mary

She has a dairy, and distaffs, for lac, linum, et lanam, and is become a very Sabine.

From Selected English Letters (XV - XIX Centuries) by Wragg, H.

Linen means cloth of flax; hence its derivation from the Latin word linum, flax.

From A Catechism of Familiar Things; Their History, and the Events Which Led to Their Discovery. With a Short Explanation of Some of the Principal Natural Phenomena. For the Use of Schools and Families. Enlarged and Revised Edition. by Anonymous

The word "flax" is derived from filare, to spin, or, filum, a thread; and the botanical title, linum, is got from the Celtic lin also signifying thread.

From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by Fernie, William Thomas