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wash one dirty linen in public

 - 2 dictionary results

lin⋅en

  [lin-uhn]
Use wash one dirty linen in public in a Sentence
–noun
1. fabric woven from flax yarns.
2. Often, linens. bedding, tablecloths, shirts, etc., made of linen cloth or a more common substitute, as cotton.
3. yarn made of flax fiber.
4. thread made of flax yarns.
–adjective
5. made of linen: a linen jacket.
—Idiom
6. wash one's dirty linen in public, to discuss in public one's private scandals, disagreements, or difficulties.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME lin(n)en (n., adj.), OE linnen, līnen (adj.) made of flax, equiv. to līn flax (< L līnum; see line 2 ) + -en -en 2

Related forms:
lin⋅en⋅y, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To wash one dirty linen in public
Word Origin & History

linen 
"cloth from woven flax," 1362, from O.E. linin (adj.) "made of flax," from lin "flax, linen thread, cloth," from W.Gmc. *linam (cf. O.N., O.H.G. lin "flax, linen," Ger. Leinen "linen," Goth. lein "linen cloth"), probably an early borrowing from L. linum "flax, linen," which, along with Gk. linon is from a non-IE language.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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