English word origin

Etymology of linn

From Middle English *linne, from Old English hlynn (“torrent”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A waterfall or cataract (torrent of water running over a rocky bed), or a ravine down which such a waterfall rushes.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English *linne, from Old English hlynn (“torrent”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mention*linneenm
Inherited-form mentionhlynnang · torrent

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "*linne"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *linne"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hlynn",
        "t": "torrent"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hlynn (“torrent”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*linne",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/linne"
    ],
    [
      "hlynn",
      "hlynn#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A waterfall or cataract (torrent of water running over a rocky bed), or a ravine down which such a waterfall rushes."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
        "Wales"
      ],
      "recordId": "2f61b7cddeec2ff282d176314fd13932c266fbd0e26b35fdea309290802ffaff",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9e2ebb801a530b3200e05dd52744a87a55b5f69c1a759b0fa266d53e4203e28c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 370678
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A pool of water, especially one formed and agitated by the water from a cascade.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Scottish Gaelic or Irish linn (“pool, pond”), or else a Brythonic source such as Cumbric *lınn, all from Proto-Celtic *lindos (“lake, liquid”). Conflated to some extent with linn (“waterfall”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Derivation mentionlinnga
Derivation mention*lınnxcb
Derivation mention*lindoscel-pro

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gd",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Scottish Gaelic"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ga",
        "3": "linn",
        "4": "",
        "5": "pool, pond"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish linn (“pool, pond”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cel-bry",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Brythonic"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xcb",
        "3": "*lınn"
      },
      "expansion": "Cumbric *lınn"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cel-pro",
        "3": "*lindos",
        "4": "",
        "5": "lake, liquid"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Celtic *lindos (“lake, liquid”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "linn",
      "linn#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "*lınn",
      "Reconstruction:Cumbric/lınn"
    ],
    [
      "*lindos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/lindos"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A pool of water, especially one formed and agitated by the water from a cascade."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
        "Wales"
      ],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for linn →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bGlubg