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linden

UK/ˈlɪn.dən/US/ˈlɪn.dən/
nounC1Common in everyday speech and writing · #7,833 of 15,258leans written

A linden is a broad-leaved tree with fragrant flowers. Linden trees, a linden avenue, linden blossom.

It is called lime in Britain — no relation to the citrus — and linden in America and across Europe, which is why Unter den Linden in Berlin is an avenue of them. The flowers are heavily scented and make a popular tea. The wood is soft, even and almost grainless, which is why it is the carver's timber, used by Grinling Gibbons for his finest work.

Definitions of linden

  1. 1nounlindenA broad-leaved tree with fragrant flowers.C1

    “In June, the scent of the linden trees filled the old avenue.”

linden is a tree.

Where it comes from

Old English linden was the adjective from lind, the tree, and the adjective became the noun. The German Linde and the place name Lindisfarne come from the same tree.

  1. Proto-Germanic

    *lindīnaz

  2. Old English

    linden — linden

  3. Middle English

    linden

  4. English, today

    linden

From Middle English linden, from Old English linden (“linden”), from Proto-Germanic lindīnaz, from Proto-Germanic lindō (“linden tree”), equivalent to lind + -en. Cognate with Middle Low German linden (“linden”), German Low German Linnenboom (“linden-tree”), West Frisian linenbeam (“linden-tree”), German linden (“linden”). The English noun developed from the adjective.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire

Practise this word

linden in the wild

  • Linden Grove Township was named for the groves of linden trees within its borders.

    Linden Grove Township, St. Louis County, Minnesota

  • The species are known as linden or lime for the European and Asian species, and linden or basswood for North American species and more generally in American literature.

    Tilia

  • Tilia cordata, the small-leaved lime or small-leaved linden, is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to much of Europe.

    Tilia cordata

  • Common names include American basswood and American linden.

    Tilia americana

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.