 The word "linen" is of West Germanic origin and cognate to the Latin name for the flax plant, "linum", and the earlier Greek λινόν ("linón").This word history has given rise to a number of other terms in English, most notably "line," from the use of a linen (flax) thread to determine a straight line.It is also etymologically related to a number of other terms, including lining, because linen was often used to create an inner layer for clothing, and lingerie, from French, which originally denoted underwear made of linen.