Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

line

/laɪn/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.49 in modern English

Syllables: line
IPA: /laɪn/

4

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.

noun

A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.

noun

A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.

Informal

noun

A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.

noun

A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.

noun

A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.

noun

A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.

noun

A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.

Example Sentences

"The arrow descended in a curved line."
"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."
""I guess it's like race cars - if you get the right line you can come out at top speed.""
"a brake line"
"the main water line to the house"
"the line of sight"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *līno-der.? Proto-Germanic *līną Proto-Germanic *līnǭ Proto-West Germanic *līnā Old English līne Middle English line English line 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.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: line, līne, *līnā, *līnǭ, *līną, *līno-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /laɪn/
British English: /laɪn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

lines (plural) lines (present, singular) lining (participle, present) lined (participle, past) lined (past) lin (alternative) lyne (alternative)

Derived Forms

adviceline airline aline backline balkline bankline barline baseline bassline battleline beachline beamline

Phrases

11 lines 18-yard line above-line above the line absorption line acanthiomeatal line accommodation line across the line

Frequently Paired Words

curve point segment lineage lineal linear

Synonyms

straight line line segment epistle letter note lineup queue tail row line of engagement

Rhymes With

fine design sign mine nine wine decline define divine shine pine resign

Questions

How do you pronounce line?: The recorded pronunciation is /laɪn/.
What does line mean?: A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
Where does line come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce line

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “line”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/laɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “line”.
Repeat and practice — Say “line” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.