line

Meanings

Noun

Verb

Origin

  • From Middle English line, lyne, from Old English līne ("line, cable, rope, hawser, series, row, rule, direction"), from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic *līnǭ ("line, rope, flaxen cord, thread"), from Proto-Germanic *līną ("flax, linen"), from Proto-Indo-European *līno- ("flax").
  • Cognate with Scots line ("line"), North Frisian liin ("line"), West Frisian line ("line"), Dutch lijn ("rope, cord"), German Leine ("line, rope"), Danish line ("rope, cord"), Swedish lina ("line, rope, wire"), Icelandic lína ("line"). Related also to Dutch lijn ("flax"), German Lein ("flax, linen"), Gothic 𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌽 ("linen, cloth"), Latin linea ("linen, thread, string, line"), Latin linum ("flax, thread, linen, cable"), Ancient Greek λίνον ("flax, linen, thread, garment"), Old Church Slavonic линъ ("flax"), Russian лён ("flax"), Lithuanian linai ("flax"), Irish lin, lion.
  • Influenced in Middle English by Middle French ligne ("line"), from Latin linea. More at linen.
  • The oldest sense of the word is "rope, cord, thread"; from this the senses "path", "continuous mark" were derived.
  • Old English līn ("flax, linen, cloth"). For more information, see the entry linen.
  • Borrowed from Middle French ligner.

Modern English dictionary

Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.

Word of the Day

Get a curated memorable word every day.

Challenge yourself

Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.

And much more

Try out Vedaist now.