n. & adj.
n. 1 a cloth woven from flax. b a particular kind of this. 2 (collect.) articles made or orig. made of linen, calico, etc., as sheets, cloths, shirts, undergarments, etc.
adj. made of linen or flax (linen cloth). linen basket a basket for soiled clothes. wash one's dirty linen in public be indiscreet about one's domestic quarrels etc.
[ OE linen f. WG, rel. to obs. line flax ]