linum

Meaning

Concepts

Synonyms

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(declension-2) flax
(declension-2) linen cloth; garment made of linen
(declension-2) rope, line, string, thread, cord, cable
(declension-2) net for hunting or fishing
(declension-2) wick of a lamp
(declension-2) sail

Pronounced as (IPA)

[ˈliː.nũː]

From Proto-Italic *līnom, likely from Proto-Indo-European *līnom. Cognates include Old English līne (“line, rope, cord”), Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌽 (lein) and other derivatives of Proto-Germanic *līną, although Pokorny proposed it is a borrowing from Latin. Although Greek λίνον (línon), Lithuanian linas, Russian лён (ljon) are sometimes listed as cognates, they actually derive from *lino- with a short /i/. Celtic and Albanian words for linen probably derive from Latin, although Celtic languages retained possibly related cloth terms with a short /i/ (see *linnā). Considering also the existence of a Latin root with a short /i/ and a /t/ (linteum), reconstruction of a common PIE protoform is impossible, and no similarly sounding terms are attested outside of Europe. If such roots were borrowed from one or several non-IE languages, as proposed by Machek, locating the source is impossible because cultivation of linen was ubiquitous in the region since the Neolithic. Alternatively, Fick proposed derivation as a passive past participle from Proto-Indo-European *lei- (“to flow, pour”) because flax is soaked in water during its retting.