Bed Linen Is Usually Made of Cotton
Linen is cloth woven from flax. The word also covers household textiles generally, whatever they are actually made of.
Linen is cloth woven from flax fibres. The word long ago outgrew the material: *bed linen*, *table linen* and a *linen cupboard* refer to household cloth of any fibre, and most of it today is cotton or a blend. The name survived because linen was once what all of it was made from. Flax gives linen words elsewhere too: *lingerie* is French for linen goods, and *linseed* is flax seed.
- Cloth from flax. *A linen shirt.*
- Household textiles. *Bed linen.*
- Flax — the plant. *A field of flax.*
- Lingerie — from the French for linen. *Lingerie.*
- Linseed — flax seed. *Linseed oil.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | linen | Pure linen. |
| Adjective | linen | A linen jacket. |
| Related | flax | Flax. |
| Related | linseed | Linseed oil. |
| Latin | linum | Flax. |
- The shirt is pure linen.Fabric.
- The bed linen is cotton.The generic use.
- Lingerie means linen goods in French.Etymology.
The linum family
- Linen — cloth from flax
- Lingerie — French for linen goods
- Linseed — flax seed, source of linseed oil
- Linoleum — from *linum* plus *oleum*, flax oil
- Line — from the flax thread used for measuring
Old English *linen*, made of flax, from *lin*, flax, from Latin *linum*.
Is bed linen made of linen?
Usually not. Most is cotton or a blend. The name survives from a time when household cloth really was flax.
Is linoleum related to linen?
Yes. The name combines Latin linum, flax, and oleum, oil, because linseed oil is a key ingredient.