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Etymology of 'linen'

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  • 26-04-2017 11:04am
    #1
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,568 ✭✭✭✭


    Can anyone help me with the etymology in old Irish of the word 'linen' please? I do not speak Irish.

    I am trying to establish the connection between leiné - which is generally translated as a linen shirt - and the word for linen the fabric (or flax the plant).

    Generally the leiné is considered to be what we would call an undergarment, but I have seen it argued that it was not specifically an undergarment, it could have been a tunic. A tunic could arguably have been woolen, so is linen implied in the word leiné?

    I hope that makes sense.


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    #2
    An gal gréine
    Registered Users Posts: 941 ✭✭✭An gal gréine


    Léine or in Donegal Léinidh, with the fada (accent) on the first 'e' is the word for shirt. Lèine in Scotland.
    Líon is the word for flax and linen in Ireland. Lìon for both in Scotland.
    Línéadach and lìon-aodach....linen cloth.

    McBain etymological dictionary




    http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MB2/index.html


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