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lintwhite

 - 2 dictionary results

lint⋅white

  [lint-hwahyt, -wahyt]
Use lintwhite in a Sentence
–noun Chiefly Scot.
the linnet, Carduelis cannabina.
Origin:
bef. 900; lint (syncopated var. of linnet ) + white; r. ME lynkwhytte, alter. (perh. by assoc. with link hill (see links ) and whit ) of OE līnetwige linnet, lit., flax (or flax-field) trouble-maker, so called because the bird pecks out and eats flaxseed, equiv. to līnet- (< ML līnētum flax-field) + -wige, fem. of wiga fighter
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To lintwhite
lint·white   (lĭnt'hwīt', -wīt')   
n.  A linnet.

[By folk etymology from Middle English linkwhitte, alteration of Old English līnetwige : līn, flax; see linseed + -twige, plucker, eater.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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