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From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Appendix:Variations of "line"

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English line, lyne, from Old English līne (“line, cable, rope, hawser, series, row, rule, direction”), from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic *līnǭ (“line, rope, flaxen cord, thread”), from Proto-Germanic *līną (“flax, linen”), from Proto-Indo-European *līno- (“flax”). Influenced in Middle English by Middle French ligne (“line”), from Latin linea. More at linen.

The oldest sense of the word is “rope, cord, thread”; from this the senses “path”, “continuous mark” were derived.

Noun

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line (plural lines)

  1. A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
    The arrow descended in a curved line.
    1. (geometry) An infinitely extending one-dimensional figure that has no curvature; one that has length but not breadth or thickness.
      Synonym: straight line
    2. (geometry, informal) A line segment; a continuous finite segment of such a figure.
      Synonym: line segment
    3. (graph theory) An edge of a graph.
    4. (geography) A circle of latitude or of longitude, as represented on a map.
    5. (geography, 'the line' or 'equinoctial line') The equator.
    6. (music) One of the straight horizontal and parallel prolonged strokes on and between which the notes are placed.
    7. (cricket) The horizontal path of a ball towards the batsman (see also length).
    8. (soccer) The goal line.
      • 2011 October 1, Clive Lindsay, “Kilmarnock 1-2 St Johnstone”, in BBC Sport:
        St Johnstone's Liam Craig had to clear off the line before Steven Anderson sent a looping header into his own net for the equaliser on 36 minutes.
    9. (automotive) A particular path taken by a vehicle when driving a bend or corner in the road.
      • 2021 February, The Road Ahead, Brisbane, page 10, column 3:
        "I guess it's like race cars - if you get the right line you can come out at top speed."
  3. A rope, cord, string, thread, or cable, of any thickness.
  5. A hose, tube, or pipe, of any size.
    a brake line
    the main water line to the house
  6. Direction, path.
    the line of sight
    the line of vision
  7. A procession, either physical or conceptual, which results from the application or effect of a given rationale or other controlling principles of belief, opinion, practice, or phenomenon.
    In order to maintain a consistency in the defense, I will follow the line established by attorney Jacobs of allowing the prosecution to suggest motives, and then refuting them.
  8. The wire connecting one telegraphic station with another, a telephone or internet cable between two points: a telephone or network connection.
    I tried to make a call, but the line was dead.
    a dedicated line;  a shared line
    Please speak up, the line is very faint.
    • 1954, Ian Fleming, “Nigger Heaven”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 45:
      The line went dead. His eyes bright, The Whisper took up a fistful of plugs and started talking to the town.
  9. A clothesline.
    We need to take the clothes off the line. The news reported a front is coming in from the east, and we can expect heavy rain and maybe hail.
    • 1985, Joan Morrison, Share House Blues, Boolarong Publications, page 26:
      She feels guilty for pampering him, and salves her conscience by bossily ordering him to go and fetch the clothes from the line[.]
  10. A short letter, a written form of communication.
    Synonyms: epistle, letter, note
    Drop me a line.
    • 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
      You don't mind giving me a line of introduction to your niece?
  11. A connected series of public conveyances, as a roadbed or railway track; and hence, an established arrangement for forwarding merchandise, etc.; a railroad line, railway line, Elizabeth Line etc.
    a line of stages
    an express line
  12. (especially military) A trench or rampart, or the non-physical demarcation of the extent of the territory occupied by specified forces.
  13. The exterior limit of a figure or territory: a boundary, contour, or outline; a demarcation.
    • 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, volume IV:
      Eden stretch'd her Line / From Auran Eastward to the Royal Towrs / Of great Seleucia,
  14. A long tape or ribbon marked with units for measuring; a tape measure.
  15. (obsolete) A measuring line or cord.
  16. That which was measured by a line, such as a field or any piece of land set apart; hence, allotted place of abode.
  18. A threadlike crease or wrinkle marking the face, hand, or body; hence, a characteristic mark.
  19. Lineament; feature; figure (of one's body).
  21. A more-or-less straight sequence of people, objects, etc., either arranged as a queue or column and often waiting to be processed or dealt with, or arranged abreast of one another in a row (and contrasted with a column), as in a military formation. [from mid-16th c.]
    Synonyms: (Canada) lineup, (UK, Ireland) queue, tail
    get in line
    The line forms on the right.
    There is a line of houses.
    • 1817, Percy Shelley, The Revolt of Islam:
      A band of brothers gathering round me, made, / Although unarmed, a steadfast front […] now the line / Of war extended, to our rallying cry / As myriads flocked in love and brotherhood to die.
    1. (military, nautical) Ellipsis of line of battle.
  22. (military) The regular infantry of an army, as distinguished from militia, guards, volunteer corps, cavalry, artillery, etc.
  23. (music) A series of notes forming a certain part (such as the bass or melody) of a greater work.
    • 2015, Mícheál Houlahan, Philip Tacka, Kodály in the Third Grade Classroom:
      Students and the instructor sing the harmony line while the instructor plays the melody line on the piano.
  25. A series or succession of ancestors or descendants of a given person; a family or race; compare lineage.
  26. A small amount of text. Specifically:
    1. A written or printed row of letters, words, numbers, or other text, especially a row of words extending across a page or column, or a blank in place of such text.
      Synonym: row
      The answer to the comprehension question can be found in the third line of the accompanying text.
    2. A verse (in poetry).
    3. A sentence of dialogue, especially [from late 19th c.] in a play, movie, or the like.
      He was perfecting his pickup lines for use at the bar.
      "It is what it is" was one of his more annoying lines.
      • 2010, Alison Hodge, Actor training, page 138:
        Anyone who has worked with Littlewood will wince at the memory of going over single lines time and time again, each actor in turn speaking the line until the valid intonation, phasing and emphasis emerged.
      • 2026 January 29, Angela Haupt, “Can I Ask Someone if They’re on Ozempic?”, in TIME‎[1], archived from the original on 1 February 2026:
        Many have reported success shutting down the conversation with lines like these: “I'm making healthier choices. I'm going to the gym. I'm being mindful of what I'm eating, or I'm working with a health care professional.”
    5. A lie, exaggeration, or spin, especially one said to gain another's approval or prevent losing it.
      Don't feed me a line!
      2. Ellipsis of pick-up line.
  27. Course of conduct, thought, occupation, or policy; method of argument; department of industry, trade, or intellectual activity. [from earlier 17th c.]
  28. The official, stated position (or set of positions) of an individual or group, particularly a political or religious faction. [from later 19th c.]
    Remember, your answers must match the party line.
  29. (slang) Information about or understanding of something. (Mostly restricted to the expressions get a line on, have a line on, and give a line on.)
    Judy gave me a line on a lawyer who's supposed to be the best in the business.
    • 1916 March 11, Charles E. Van Loan, “His Folks”, in Saturday Evening Post‎[2]:
      She's got the best line on Hickey. Maybe she knows a way to put the heart back into him.
  30. A set of products or services sold by a business, or by extension, the business itself. [from early 19th c.]
    line of business, product line
    How many buses does the line have?
    The airline is in danger of bankruptcy.
    • 1890, Illinois State Dairymen's Association, Annual Report (volume 16, page 21)
      Have nothing to do with snide goods; let it be known throughout the world that the farmers and dairymen, yea, and those engaged in other industries in the great State of Illinois, produce only the best of everything in their lines, and we will be the last to feel the effects of over-production.
  31. (stock exchange) A number of shares taken by a jobber.
  32. Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude:
    • 1847, Sir Erasmus Wilson, On Diseases of the Skin. Second edition:
      Withof estimates that the hair of the beard grows one line (French) in the course of a week, let us call it one line and a half (Engish); this would amount to six inches and a half yearly...
    1. (historical) A tsarist-era Russian unit of measure, approximately equal to one tenth of an English inch, used especially when measuring the calibre of firearms.
    2. One twelfth of an inch.
      • 1883, Alfred Swaine Taylor, Thomas Stevenson, The principles and practice of medical jurisprudence:
        The cut is measured in thickness from a quarter of a line to a line and a half (a line is one-twelfth of an inch).
    3. One sixteenth of an inch.
    4. One fortieth of an inch.
      • 1922, “Statement of James Turner, Representing Universal Button Fastening Co., Detriot, Mich.”, in Hearings Before the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, page 5337:
        In case any of the committee do not understand what is meant by a rate per line, I may say that buttons, being very small, are not measured by the foot or inch, but by the line, a line being one-fortieth of an inch. For example, that is a 27-line button […].
  33. (advertising) Ellipsis of agate line (one fourteenth of an inch).
    • 1912, Miscellaneous Series, numbers 7-11, page 25:
      Advertising rates, line contract, less than 500 agate lines, 12 cents per line; 1,000 to 2,000 lines, 7 cents; 5,000 to 10,000 lines, 5 cents.
  34. (historical) A maxwell, a unit of magnetic flux.
  35. (baseball, slang, 1800s, with "the") The batter's box.
  36. (fencing) The position in which the fencers hold their swords.
    Synonym: line of engagement
    • 1861, George Chapman, Foil Practice, with a Review of the Art of Fencing, page 12:
      Thus, for example, in the line of Quarte, the direct thrust is parried by dropping the point under the adversary's blade and circling upwards, throwing off the attack in the opposite line (that of Tierce), and upon the direct thrust in the line of Tierce, by a similar action throwing off the attack in the opposite line (that of Quarte).
  37. (engineering) Proper relative position or adjustment (of parts, not as to design or proportion, but with reference to smooth working).
    the engine is in line / out of line
  38. (informal) A portion or serving of a powdery recreational drug, especially cocaine, formed into a line on a flat surface in preparation for snorting.
    I watched him take a line of cocaine.
  39. (obsolete) Instruction; doctrine.
  40. (genetics) A population of cells derived from a single cell and containing the same genetic makeup.
  41. (perfusion line) a set composed of a spike, a drip chamber, a clamp, a Y-injection site, a three-way stopcock and a catheter.
  42. (ice hockey) A group of forwards that play together.
  43. (Australian rules football) A set of positions in a team which play in a similar position on the field; in a traditional team, consisting of three players and acting as one of six such sets in the team.
  44. (medicine, colloquial) A vascular catheter.
    patient had a line inserted
    line sepsis
Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • → Scottish Gaelic: loidhne
Translations
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See line/translations § Noun.

Interjection

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line

  1. (acting) Expresses that the speaker has forgotten their dialogue and needs to be prompted with it.

Verb

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line (third-person singular simple present lines, present participle lining, simple past and past participle lined)

  1. (transitive) To place (objects) into a line (usually used with "up"); to form into a line; to align.
    to line troops
    They lined up the books against the wall.
  2. (transitive) To place persons or things along the side of for security or defense; to strengthen by adding; to fortify.
    to line works with soldiers
  3. (transitive) To form a line along.
  4. (transitive) To mark with a line or lines; to cover with lines.
    to line a copy book
  5. (rail transport) To align (one or more switches) to direct a train onto a particular track.
    The dispatcher lined the switches at Pickle interlocking for the freight turnout to clear the train into the passing track before the express arrived.
  6. (transitive, obsolete) To represent by lines; to delineate; to portray.
  7. (transitive, dated, now more often line out) To read or repeat line by line.
    to line out a hymn
  8. (intransitive, baseball) To hit a line drive; to hit a line drive which is caught for an out. Compare fly and ground.
    Jones lined to left in his last at-bat.
  9. (transitive) To track (wild bees) to their nest by following their line of flight.
  10. (transitive) To measure.
Derived terms
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Translations
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See line/translations § Verb.

Etymology 2

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Borrowed from Korean 라인 (rain, “members with a shared characteristic”), itself from English line. Likely generalized via hyung line, maknae line, etc.

Noun

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line (plural lines)

  1. (South Korean idol fandom) A group of people born in a certain year (liners).
    maknae line; hyung line; 97 line
Translations
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Etymology 3

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From Old English līn (“flax, linen, cloth”). For more information, see the entry linen.

Alternative forms

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Noun

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line (uncountable)

  2. (obsolete) Flax, linen.
  3. The longer fiber(s) of flax.
Translations
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Verb

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line (third-person singular simple present lines, present participle lining, simple past and past participle lined)

  1. (transitive) To cover the inner surface of (something), originally especially with linen.
    to line a cloak with silk or fur
    to line a box with paper or tin
    The bird lines its nest with soft grass.
    Paintings lined the walls of the cavernous dining room.
  2. (transitive) To fill or supply (something), as a purse with money.
    to line the shelves
    • 1602, Richard Carew, edited by Thomas Tonkin, Carew's Survey of Cornwall‎[3], published 1811, page 34:
      because the charge amounteth mostly very high for any one man's purse, except lined beyond ordinary, to reach unto
Quotations
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  1. To reinforce (the back of a book) with glue and glued scrap material such as fabric or paper.
  • 1891, English mechanics and the world of science, volume 52, page 306:
    […] such books are always close back—ie, the leather cover is always glued or pasted to the bare back of the book. After books have been lined the bands are put on if the style of binding admits of this operation.
  • 1895, The British Printer, volume VIII, page 94:
    Then again line the back, again bringing the paper a little further in than the second lining, and repeat the operation according to what you think the weight and size of the book demands in extra strength, […]
Derived terms
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(terms derived from the verb "line"):

Translations
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Etymology 4

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Borrowed from Middle French ligner.

Verb

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line (third-person singular simple present lines, present participle lining, simple past and past participle lined)

  1. (transitive, now rare, of a dog) To copulate with, to impregnate.
Quotations
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  • 1825, A Lawson, The Modern Farrier:
    A bitch lined by a mangy dog is very liable to produce mangy puppies, and the progeny of a mangy bitch is certain to become affected some time or other.
  • 1855, William Youatt, The Dog:
    Pliny states that the inhabitants of India take pleasure in having their dog bitches lined by the wild tigers, and to facilitate this union, they are in the habit of tieing them when in heat out in the woods, so that the male tigers may visit them.
  • 1868 September, The Country Gentleman's Magazine, page 292:
    Bedlamite was a black dog, and although it may be safely asserted that he lined upwards of 100 bitches of all colours, red, white, and blue, all his produce were black.
Translations
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References

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“line”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

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Italian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English line.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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line f (invariable)

  1. line management
  2. editing (of a TV programme/program)
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Anagrams

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Latin

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Verb

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line

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of linō

References

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Middle English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology 1

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From Old English līne, from Proto-Germanic *līnǭ. Some forms and meanings are from Old French ligne.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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line (plural lines)

  1. rope, cord
  2. line, rule, ruler, measure
  3. (figurative) rule, direction, command, edict
  4. line, straight mark; also a fictitious line
  5. (written) line, verse
Quotations
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Descendants
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References

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Etymology 2

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Noun

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line

  1. alternative form of lyne

Norwegian Nynorsk

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Latin linea.

Alternative forms

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Noun

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line f (definite singular lina, indefinite plural liner, definite plural linene)

  1. a line (a continuous mark through two or more points; a succession of ancestors or descendants; the stated position of an individual or group)
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From Old Norse lína.

Noun

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line f (definite singular lina, indefinite plural liner, definite plural linene)

  1. a line (a strong rope, cord, string, wire)

References

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Old English

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Etymology

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From Proto-Germanic *līnǭ (“line, rope, flaxen cord, thread”), from Proto-Germanic *līną (“flax, linen”), from Proto-Indo-European *līno- (“flax”). Akin to Old High German līna (“line”) (German Leine (“rope”)), Middle Dutch līne (“rope, cord”) (Dutch lijn (“rope”)), Old Norse līna (“cord, rope”) (Danish line (“rope, cord”)), Old English līn (“flax, linen, cloth”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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līne f

  1. line
    • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Saint Augustine's Soliloquies
      Wāst þū nū þæt þū leornodest on eorþcræfte be ānre līnan āwritenre andlang middes ānes þōðres?
      Do you remember what you learned in geometry about a line drawn along the middle of a ball?
  2. rope, cable
  3. row, series
  4. direction, rule

Declension

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Weak n-stem:

singular plural
nominative līne līnan
accusative līnan līnan
genitive līnan līnena
dative līnan līnum
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Descendants

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Phuthi

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Etymology

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From Proto-Nguni *niná.

Pronoun

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liné

  1. you, you all; second-person plural absolute pronoun.

Spanish

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Noun

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line m (plural lines)

  1. (rugby) lineout
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