*līną

Runic: ᛚᛁᚾᚨ Pronunciation: /ˈliː.nɑ̃/

noun · neuter · a-stem

Meanings

flax

Etymology

Likely from Proto-Indo-European *līno-.

Cognates include Latin līnum and all its derivatives.

Although Greek λίνον (línon), Latin linas, Russian лён (ljon) are sometimes listed as cognates, they actually derive from *lino- with a short /i/.

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, locating the source is impossible because cultivation of linen was ubiquitous in the region since the Neolithic.

Declension

Case	Singular	Plural
Nom.	līną	līnō
Acc.	līną	līnō
Gen.	līnas, līnis	līnǫ̂
Dat.	līnai	līnamaz
Inst.	līnō	līnamiz
Voc.	līną	līnō

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Descendants

*līn (Proto-West Germanic)
- *līn (Old Dutch)
  - lijn (Middle Dutch)
    - lijn (Dutch)
*līn (Proto-West Germanic)
- līn (Old English)
  - lin, line (Middle English)
    - line (English)
    - line, lyne (Scots)
*līn (Proto-West Germanic)
- līn (Old Frisian)
  - Lien (Saterland Frisian)
  - lyn (West Frisian)
*līn (Proto-West Germanic)
- līn (Old High German)
  - līn (Middle High German)
    - Lein (German)
    - łȧjn (Vilamovian)
*līn (Proto-West Germanic)
- līn (Old Saxon)
  - lîn (Middle Low German)
    - Lien (German Low German)
ᛚᛁᚾᚨ (lina) (Proto-Norse)
- lín (Old Norse)
  - lin (Danish)
    - linned (Danish)
  - lín (Faroese)
    - linned (Danish)
  - lín (Icelandic)
    - linned (Danish)
  - lin (Norwegian)
    - linned (Danish)
ᛚᛁᚾᚨ (lina) (Proto-Norse)
- lín (Old Norse)
  - līn (Old Swedish)
    - lin (Swedish)
𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌽 (lein) (Gothic)
*liina (Proto-Finnic)
*lijnē (Proto-Samic)
- лыййн (lyjjn) (Kildin Sami)
- liidni (Northern Sami)
- lijnie (Southern Sami)

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