flaxn.

Brit.

/flaks/, U.S.

/flæks/

Forms: Old English flæx, fleax, Old English–Middle English flex, Middle English southern vlexe, Middle English–1500s flexe, Middle English–1600s flaxe, (1600s flacks), Middle English– flax.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Common West Germanic: Old English fleax = Old Frisian flax , Old Saxon *flahs (Middle Dutch, Dutch, Low German vlas ), Old High German flahs (Middle High German vlahs , modern German flachs ) < Old Germanic *flahso^m strong neuter; commonly referred to the Old Germanic root *fleh- , flah- to plait < Old Aryan *plek- , plok- ; compare German flech-ten , Latin plectere , Greek πλέκειν . Some think however that the root is flah- ( < Old Aryan *plak- ) as in flay v., the etymological notion being connected with the process of ‘stripping’, by which the fibre is prepared.

I. The plant.

1. The plant Linum usitatissimum bearing blue flowers which are succeeded by pods containing the seeds commonly known as linseed. It is cultivated for its textile fibre and for its seeds.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > flax plants

flaxc1000

linseedc1000

linec1420

lint1458

wild flax1878–86

c1000 Ælfric Exodus ix. 31 Witodlice eall hira flex and hira bernas wæron fordone.

1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Tollem. MS.) xvii. xcvii Flexe groweþ in euen stalkes, and bereþ ȝelow floures or blewe.

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope i. xx Whanne the flaxe was growen and pulled vp.

1562 W. Turner 2nd Pt. Herball f. 39^v Flax..is called of the Northen men lynt.

1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 47 The Land there for Flax is very good, being rich and dry.

1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xvii. 248 Flax has also a corol of five petals.

1869 H. Macmillan Bible Teachings (1870) iii. 49 The flax extracting from the earth the materials of those fibres which are to be woven into garments for us.

a. With qualifying word prefixed, in the names of other species of Linum or of plants resembling the true flax, as dwarf-flax, fairy-flax, mountain-flax, purging flax, spurge-flax, toad-flax, wild flax: see quots., and the different words.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Scrophulariaceae (figwort and allies) > [noun] > toadflax or cancer-wort

wild flaxa1400

cankerwortc1400

sulfc1450

linary1548

gall-wort1577

herb fluellin1578

toad-flax1578

cancerwort1597

flax-weed1597

linaria1597

butter and eggs1756

fluellin1756

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > rosaceous plants > [noun] > linum or fairy-flax

mill-mountain1633

mountain flax1648

rupturewort1670

purging flax1684

fairy flax1737

mountain flax1841

purge flax1853

fairy lint1859

dwarf-flax1863

linum1867

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > flax plants

flaxc1000

linseedc1000

linec1420

lint1458

wild flax1878–86

a1400 J. Mirfield Sinonoma Bartholomei (1882) 28 Linaria, wilde flax.

1670 J. Ray Catalogus Plantarum Angliæ 196 Linum arvense..Common wild Flax.

1863 R. C. A. Prior On Pop. Names Brit. Plants 81 Dwarf-, or Purging-, or Fairy-Flax, Linum catharticum.

1878–86 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names 187 Mountain Flax, (1) Linum catharticum..(2) Erythræa Centaurium.

1878–86 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names 187 Wild Flax, (1) Linaria vulgaris. (2) Cuscuta Epilinum.

b. New Zealand flax n. Phormium tenax (also called flax bush, flax-lily, flax-plant), a native of New Zealand, the leaves of which yield a textile fibre.

ΚΠ

1832 A. Earle Narr. Resid. N.Z. 22 Their food is always eaten out of little baskets, rudely woven of green flax.

1870 T. H. Braim New Homes viii. 375 The native flax (phormium tenax) is found in all parts of New Zealand.

II. The fibre of flax.

a. The fibres of the plant whether dressed or undressed.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > flax, hemp, or jute > [noun]

linec975

hempc1300

flaxc1325

jute1746

c1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in T. Wright Voc. 156 Pik thi flax.

c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 676 This Perdoner hadde heer as yelow as wex But smothe it heeng as dooth a stryke of flex.

1480 Table Prouffytable Lernynge (Caxton) (1964) 35 The lynweuar..Weueth my lynnencloth Of threde of flaxe.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 221/1 Flaxe redy to spynne, fillace.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. iii. 98 It [sc. haire] hangs like flax on a distaffe.

1669 S. Pepys Diary 24 Mar. (1976) IX. 496 In the town did see an old man beating of Flax.

1767 W. Warburton Serm. 1 Cor. xiii. 13 Human laws, like a thread of flax before a flame, vanish and disappear before popular commotions.

1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan III. 323 You broke away from us like the Philistine from the un~twisted flax.

figurative.1533 T. More Debellacyon Salem & Bizance i. v. f. xxxii^v He spynneth that fyne lye without flex, fetchyng it out of his own body as the spider spynneth her cobwebbe.

b. plural. Different sorts or qualities of flax.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > sorts or qualities of

Russia1770

flaxes1886

1886 Daily News 6 Sept. 2/4 There is a brisk inquiry for tows, hemps, and flaxes.

†4. As a material of which a candle or lamp wick is made; the wick itself. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [noun] > wick

flaxc975

candle-wickc1000

wickc1000

matcha1398

torch-wick1444

the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [noun] > wick > material for making

flaxc975

wick1391

wicking1847

c975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xii. 20 Flæx vel lin smikende ne adwæscet.

c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. in Sel. Wks. II. 189 Preestis of the chirche, þat smokiden bi pride as brent flex.

a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) ii. xvii. sig. L.iii It is a thing right hard..to put flex vnto fyre, and yet kepe it from burning.

1560 Bible (Geneva) Isa. xlii. 3 The smoking flax shall he not quench.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) v. iii. 55 Beautie..Shall to my flaming wrath, be Oyle and Flax .

1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry iv. sig. H Hee has made me smell (for all the world) like a flaxe, or a red headed womans chamber.

a. A material resembling the fibres of the flax-plant or used for a like purpose.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > other textiles obtained from plants > [noun]

flax1553

vegetable silka1660

pulu1833

ramie1851

moc-main1857

China-grass1858

tree-wool1870

istle1883

arghan1922

1553 R. Eden tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India sig. Diiij The flaxe whiche is lefte, they spinne agayne.

1624 J. Smith Gen. Hist. Virginia vi. 216 A kinde..of Flax, wherewith they make Nets.

b. in the name of a variety of asbestos with flaxlike fibres, as earth flax n., fossil flax n., mountain flax n. For incombustible flax, see asbestos n. 2.

ΚΠ

1860 J. G. Whittier Double-headed Snake 4 Whether he lurked in the Oldtown fen Or the gray earth-flax of the Devil's Den.

6. Cloth made of flax; linen.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > linen

linea700

flaxc897

linclothc1290

linen1362

flaxen1520

c897 K. Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care xiv. 87 Of ðære eorðan cymeð ðæt fleax, Ðæt bið hwites hiwes.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 236 Chastete þet is be-tokned be þe huite ulexe.

1574 J. Baret Aluearie F 643 That beareth or weareth flaxe or linnen.

1851 E. Wilson New Zealand 23 His robe of glossy flax which loosely flows.

1872 A. Domett Ranolf & Amohia v. iii. 93 In flowing vest of silky flax, undyed.

Compounds

C1.

a. Simple attributive. General relations (with or without hyphen).

flax-blade n.

ΚΠ

1872 A. Domett Ranolf & Amohia i. v. 11 With flax-blades binding to a tree the Maid.

† flax-bolle n. Obsolete See boll n.¹

ΚΠ

c1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in T. Wright Voc. 156 (note) Boceaus, flaxbolles [printed filaxlolles.]

flax fibre n.

ΚΠ

1875 Ure's Dict. Arts 409 Attempts have been made to prepare flax fibre without steeping.

flax leaf n.

ΚΠ

1884 T. Bracken Lays of Maori 69 Zephyrs stirred the flax leaves into tune.

flax plant n.

ΚΠ

1838 Penny Cycl. X. 305/1 The flax plants are passed between these cylinders.

flax stalk n.

ΚΠ

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 48 A Flax Brake is two pieces of Timber with Teeth made in them to bruse Flax stalks.

flax stem n.

ΚΠ

1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) II. 409 The immersion of the flax stems in water.

flax-stick n.

ΚΠ

1871 C. L. Money Knocking about in N.Z. iv. 52 Mogue [s is the] Maori name for a raupo or flax-stick raft.

1933 L. G. D. Acland in Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) 14 Oct. 15/7 The dried reed stalks..are called f[lax]-sticks.

flax straw n.

ΚΠ

1860 R. Hunt Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 5) II. 228 The sheaves of flax-straw are placed erect in crates.

flax-swamp n. New Zealand.

ΚΠ

1871 Lady M. A. Barker Christmas Cake in Four Quarters iv. i. 251 A view of downs rolling into a narrow gully, the flax swamp of which formed a natural boundary to one bit of the kitchen garden.

1926 H. Guthrie-Smith Tutira (ed. 2) 283 The destruction by fire of flax-swamps.

† flax top n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Ecclus. xxi. 10 A flax top gedered togidere [L. stuppa collecta] the synagoge of synneres.

b. Concerned with flax as a commercial product.

flax culture n.

ΚΠ

1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) II. 455 Lands..prepared for flax culture.

flax-factory n.

flax-industry n.

flax-man n.

ΚΠ

1509 in Mkt. Harborough Records (1890) 232 Ric' Beale Flaxman.

1799 A. Young Gen. View Agric. County Lincoln 197 Let it to flaxmen at £3 or £4 per acre.

1808 C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Devon vii. 207 The flaxman only finding seed, and agreeing to have the field cleared by a given time.

flax-merchant n.

flax-mill n.

ΚΠ

1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 221 The proprietors of many flax-mills.

flax-shop n.

ΚΠ

1600 A. Munday et al. First Pt. True Hist. Sir I. Old-castle sig. B4^v A man may make a flaxe shop in your kitchin chimnies, for any fire there is stirring.

1679 W. Bedloe Narr. Horrid Popish Plot 27 A Gentle-woman that kept a Flax-shop in the Minories.

flax-spindle n.

ΚΠ

1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) II. 456 The steam~driven flax-spindle.

flax-tithe n.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > fixed proportion dues or taxes > [noun] > tithe > consisting of produce, stock, or animals

tenth sheaf1387

predial1530

predial tithe1530

whitage1537

tithe pig1555

garb tithea1640

flax-tithe1692

1692 T. Rokeby Diary (1887) 18 Whether Flax-tyth were small tythes or not.

c. Made of flax, as flax canvas, flax-sandal, flax-thread.

ΚΠ

1872 A. Domett Ranolf & Amohia xxi. ii. 378 His feet—with green flax-sandals shod.

1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 210/1 Flax Canvas..may be procured in various degrees of fineness and make.

1891 Daily News 8 Dec. 5/8 Flax-thread and spun stuffs.

d. Objective.

flax-cutting n.

flax-dresser n.

ΚΠ

1632 R. Sherwood Dict. in R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues (new ed.) A flax-dresser, liniere.

1894 H. Speight Nidderdale & Garden of Nidd 304 As many as 800 flax-dressers.

flax-dressing n.

ΚΠ

1766 Compl. Farmer (at cited word) They laid out money for breeding apprentices to flax-raising and flax-dressing.

1874 A. Bathgate Colonial Experiences v. 52 Flax dressing is now a permanent industry.

flax-growing n.

flax-hackler n.

ΚΠ

1780 A. Young Tour Ireland (Dublin ed.) I. 164 They next send it to a flax-hackler.

flax raising n.

ΚΠ

1766Flax-raising [see flax-dressing n.].

flax-spinner n.

ΚΠ

1856 Farmer's Mag. Nov. 379 The severe trial the flaxspinners experienced.

flax-spinning n.

ΚΠ

1838 Penny Cycl. X. 305/2 Flax-spinning is now carried on with most success in..Yorkshire.

† flax-swingler n. Obsolete

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > beating > one who

hemp-beater1615

flax-swingler1663

scutcher1847

1663 MS Canterbury Marriage Licences Charles Abbot..flaxswingler.

e. Referring to the colour of the flower of the flax, as flax-blue, flax-flower blue.

ΚΠ

1899 Daily News 20 May 8/6 Flax-flower blue, a lovely shade that seems to reflect the summer sky itself.

1900 Daily News 28 July 6/7 Flax-blue Irish linen.

C2.

a. Special combinations.

flax-bird n. (a) the North American goldfinch, Chrysomitris tristis; (b) U.S. ‘a book-name of the scarlet tanager, Piranga rubra’ ( Cent. Dict.); (c) dialect the common Whitethroat, Curruca cinerea.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > arboreal families > family Fringillidae (finch) > [noun] > subfamily Carduelinae > genus Carduelis > carduelis tristis

yellowbird1625

yellow1794

flax-bird1823

1823 J. Latham Gen. Hist. Birds VI. 120 American Yellow Finch..feeds on the seeds of flax, alder, &c., and is called in the back parts of Carolina, the Flax Bird.

† flax-box n. Obsolete a box to hold the flax or tow match for firing a caliver or matchlock.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > flax-box or match-box

flax-box1576

matchbox1786

1576 in J. Harland Lancashire Lieutenancy under Tudors & Stuarts (1859) I. 77 Six calliuers, fyve flaxe boxes.

flax-brake n. (see quot.).

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > other specific types of equipment > [noun] > other tools and equipment

pollhache1324

poleaxe1356

muckrake1366

pestlea1382

botea1450

staff1459

press-board1558

reel1593

water crane1658

lathekin1659

tower1662

dressing hook1683

liner1683

hovel1686

flax-brake1688

nipper1688

horse1728

tap1797

feather-stick1824

bow1839

safety belt1840

economizer1841

throttle damper1849

cleat1854

leg brace1857

bark-peeler1862

pugging screw1862

nail driver1863

spool1864

turntable1865

ovate1872

tension bar1879

icebreaker1881

spreader1881

toucher1881

window pole1888

mushroom head1890

rat1894

slackline1896

auger1897

latch hook1900

thimble1901

horse1904

pipe jack1909

mulcher1910

hand plate1911

splashguard1917

cheese-cutter1927

airbrasive1945

impactor1945

fogger1946

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 48 A Flax Brake is two pieces of Timber with Teeth made in them to bruse Flax stalks.

flax-breaker n. = flax-brake n.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > other specific machines > [noun]

reeler1598

driver1659

rubber1747

heading machine1795

bruiser1809

finisher1835

stripper1835

physionotype1836

rotary1836

tetraspaston1842

netting-machine1846

speeder1847

dresser1855

spacer1857

starcher1862

bronzing liquid, machine1865

finishing machine1869

grader1869

brain machine1872

peanut roaster1872

bending machine1874

screw-machine1876

tire-upsetting-machine1877

buncher?1881

flax-breaker1889

oscillator1889

fluoroscope1893

fluorometer1897

mucker1916

spray dryer1921

paver1926

teabagger1940

burster1950

icemaker1953

laminator1958

slipform (concrete) paver1958

extruder1959

Zamboni1965

manipulator1968

wave machine1968

pipelayer1969

walking machine1971

1889 C. N. Elvin Dict. Heraldry 62/1 Flax-breaker.

flax-comb n. an instrument for cleansing and straightening flax fibres, a flax-hackle.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > heckling > implement for

hatchelc1300

hecklea1425

hacklec1485

hetch1598

flax-comb1611

hack1658

gill1819

flax-hackle1825

rougher1828

ruffer1853

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Brosse,..a flax-combe, or hatchell.

1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Flax-comb, the instrument with which the fibres of flax are cleansed from the brittle parts.

flax-cotton n. cottonized flax.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > treated or processed textiles > [noun] > flax, hemp, or jute > cottonized

flax-cotton1851

1851 J. R. Lowell Lett. (1894) I. 192 The flax-cotton is a great thing.

† flax-finch n. Obsolete ? some species of finch.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > arboreal families > family Fringillidae (finch) > [noun] > unspecified and miscellaneous types of

ligurine1572

ligury1598

flax-finch1640

Kate1774

winter finch1783

indigo-bird1864

Galapagos finch1888

mamo1891

Darwin's finch1936

1640 tr. J. A. Comenius Janua Linguarum Reserata (new ed.) xiv. §153 The goldfinch, larke, nightingale..and flaxfinch, are singing..birds.

flax-hackle n. (see quot.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > heckling > implement for

hatchelc1300

hecklea1425

hacklec1485

hetch1598

flax-comb1611

hack1658

gill1819

flax-hackle1825

rougher1828

ruffer1853

1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 402 The flax-hackle is an instrument or tool constructed for the purpose of hackling or straightening the fibres of the flax.

flax-honey n. New Zealand honey from bees feeding on flowers of Phormium tenax.

ΚΠ

1950 G. Dempsey Wind from Sea ii. 20 There's plenty of flax-honey..the season has been too dry for clover honey.

† flax-hoppe n. Obsolete a head or seed-pod of flax.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > flax plants > seed or seed-vessel

linseedc1000

hoppec1325

flax-hoppe14..

linget1477

line-boll1483

line1540

flaxseed1562

14.. in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 584/3 Folliculus, a flexhoppe.

flax-hurd n. the coarse parts of flax, tow.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > treated or processed textiles > [noun] > flax, hemp, or jute > heckled > coarse parts

hurdseOE

oakumeOE

tow1530

flax-hurd1614

tow hards1615

codilla1748

backings1780

swingling-tow1828

1614 G. Markham Cheape & Good Husbandry ii. iv. 93 A little Rozen melted together with Flaxehurds.

1673 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 8 6067 Lap the joynted place about with a little hemp or flax-hurds.

flax-ripple n. (see quot.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > removing seeds > implement for

rippling combc1350

ripple?c1425

ripple-comb1499

ripple-stock?a1500

rippler1724

thrippling-comb1728

flax-ripple1880

1880 W. H. Patterson Gloss. Words Antrim & Down Flax-ripple, a comb with large iron teeth through which flax is drawn, to remove the bolls or seeds.

flax-scutcher n. (see scutcher n.¹); so flax-scutching n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > beating

brakinga1398

ribbinga1398

swingling?a1500

swingling machine?a1500

tewtawing1707

scutching1733

flax-scutching1846

1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) I. 277 The first flax-scutching mill.

flax-thrasher n. a machine for beating out the seeds from the bolls of the flax-plant.

flax-wench n. a female flax-worker.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > woman who works with flax

flax-wife1591

flax-woman1611

flax-wencha1616

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 279 My Wife..deserues a Name As ranke as any Flax-Wench .

flax-wife n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > woman who works with flax

flax-wife1591

flax-woman1611

flax-wencha1616

1591 R. Greene Notable Discouery of Coosenage f. 16^v How a Flaxe wife [etc.].

flax-woman n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > woman who works with flax

flax-wife1591

flax-woman1611

flax-wencha1616

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Filandiere, a Flaxe-woman.

b. In the names of plants.

flax-bush n.

ΚΠ

1846 J. Lindley Veg. Kingdom iv. 203 In New Zealand they [Lilyworts] are represented by the Phormium or Flaxbush.

1854 W. Golder Pigeons' Parl. Introd. 5 I had..to pass the night..under the shade of a flax-bush.

flax-dodder n. Cuscuta Epilinum.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > poisonous or harmful plants > parasitic plants > [noun] > dodder

doddera1300

hellweedc1510

choke-fitch1562

epithyme1585

podagry1657

devil's guts1670

love bush1814

love vine1833

flax-dodder1852

red tangle1857

fairies' hair1868

1852 J. M. Wilson Farmer's Dict. Flax-dodder.

flax-lily n. (see sense 2b).

flax-tail n. a dialect name of the reed-mace, Typha latifolia.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > reedy or aquatic grasses > [noun] > bulrush or club-rush

bulrushc1440

holrushc1440

glagol1480

cat's tail1548

reedmace1548

Typha1548

sun's brow1567

marsh beetle1578

marsh pestle1578

mat-rush1578

pole rush1578

water torch1578

water cat's-tail1597

ditch-down1611

doda1661

club-rush1677

deer-hair1777

club-grass1787

draw-ling1795

raupo1823

tule1837

boulder1847

blackheads1850

cat-o'-nine-tails1858

flax-tail1861

bull-sedge1879

mace reed1901

totora1936

1861 A. Pratt Flowering Plants & Ferns Great Brit. V. 313 The Reed-mace is in Kent often called Flax-tail.

flax-weed n. Linaria vulgaris, toad-flax.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Scrophulariaceae (figwort and allies) > [noun] > toadflax or cancer-wort

wild flaxa1400

cankerwortc1400

sulfc1450

linary1548

gall-wort1577

herb fluellin1578

toad-flax1578

cancerwort1597

flax-weed1597

linaria1597

butter and eggs1756

fluellin1756

1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 444 Tode flaxe is called of the herbaristes of our time, Linaria, or Flaxweede.

flax-worts n. the name given by Lindley to the family Linaceæ.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > rosaceous plants > [noun]

rosewort1845

flax-worts1846

prunoid1953

1846 J. Lindley Veg. Kingdom vii. 485 Linaceæ, Flaxworts.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	flax
释义	flaxn. Brit. /flaks/, U.S. /flæks/ Forms: Old English flæx, fleax, Old English–Middle English flex, Middle English southern vlexe, Middle English–1500s flexe, Middle English–1600s flaxe, (1600s flacks), Middle English– flax. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Common West Germanic: Old English fleax = Old Frisian flax , Old Saxon flahs (Middle Dutch, Dutch, Low German vlas* ), Old High German flahs (Middle High German vlahs , modern German flachs ) < Old Germanic flahso^m strong neuter; commonly referred to the Old Germanic root fleh- , flah- to plait < Old Aryan plek- , plok-* ; compare German flech-ten , Latin plectere , Greek πλέκειν . Some think however that the root is flah- ( < Old Aryan plak- ) as in flay v., the etymological notion being connected with the process of ‘stripping’, by which the fibre is prepared. I. The plant. 1. The plant Linum usitatissimum* bearing blue flowers which are succeeded by pods containing the seeds commonly known as linseed. It is cultivated for its textile fibre and for its seeds. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > flax plants flaxc1000 linseedc1000 linec1420 lint1458 wild flax1878–86 c1000 Ælfric Exodus ix. 31 Witodlice eall hira flex and hira bernas wæron fordone. 1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Tollem. MS.) xvii. xcvii Flexe groweþ in euen stalkes, and bereþ ȝelow floures or blewe. 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope i. xx Whanne the flaxe was growen and pulled vp. 1562 W. Turner 2nd Pt. Herball f. 39^v Flax..is called of the Northen men lynt. 1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 47 The Land there for Flax is very good, being rich and dry. 1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xvii. 248 Flax has also a corol of five petals. 1869 H. Macmillan Bible Teachings (1870) iii. 49 The flax extracting from the earth the materials of those fibres which are to be woven into garments for us. 2. a. With qualifying word prefixed, in the names of other species of Linum or of plants resembling the true flax, as dwarf-flax, fairy-flax, mountain-flax, purging flax, spurge-flax, toad-flax, wild flax: see quots., and the different words. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Scrophulariaceae (figwort and allies) > [noun] > toadflax or cancer-wort wild flaxa1400 cankerwortc1400 sulfc1450 linary1548 gall-wort1577 herb fluellin1578 toad-flax1578 cancerwort1597 flax-weed1597 linaria1597 butter and eggs1756 fluellin1756 the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > rosaceous plants > [noun] > linum or fairy-flax mill-mountain1633 mountain flax1648 rupturewort1670 purging flax1684 fairy flax1737 mountain flax1841 purge flax1853 fairy lint1859 dwarf-flax1863 linum1867 the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > flax plants flaxc1000 linseedc1000 linec1420 lint1458 wild flax1878–86 a1400 J. Mirfield Sinonoma Bartholomei (1882) 28 Linaria, wilde flax. 1670 J. Ray Catalogus Plantarum Angliæ 196 Linum arvense..Common wild Flax. 1863 R. C. A. Prior On Pop. Names Brit. Plants 81 Dwarf-, or Purging-, or Fairy-Flax, Linum catharticum. 1878–86 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names 187 Mountain Flax, (1) Linum catharticum..(2) Erythræa Centaurium. 1878–86 J. Britten & R. Holland Dict. Eng. Plant-names 187 Wild Flax, (1) Linaria vulgaris. (2) Cuscuta Epilinum. b. New Zealand flax n. Phormium tenax (also called flax bush, flax-lily, flax-plant), a native of New Zealand, the leaves of which yield a textile fibre. ΚΠ 1832 A. Earle Narr. Resid. N.Z. 22 Their food is always eaten out of little baskets, rudely woven of green flax. 1870 T. H. Braim New Homes viii. 375 The native flax (phormium tenax) is found in all parts of New Zealand. II. The fibre of flax. 3. a. The fibres of the plant whether dressed or undressed. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] linec975 hempc1300 flaxc1325 jute1746 c1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in T. Wright Voc. 156 Pik thi flax. c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 676 This Perdoner hadde heer as yelow as wex But smothe it heeng as dooth a stryke of flex. 1480 Table Prouffytable Lernynge (Caxton) (1964) 35 The lynweuar..Weueth my lynnencloth Of threde of flaxe. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 221/1 Flaxe redy to spynne, fillace. a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) i. iii. 98 It [sc. haire] hangs like flax on a distaffe. View more context for this quotation 1669 S. Pepys Diary 24 Mar. (1976) IX. 496 In the town did see an old man beating of Flax. 1767 W. Warburton Serm. 1 Cor. xiii. 13 Human laws, like a thread of flax before a flame, vanish and disappear before popular commotions. 1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan III. 323 You broke away from us like the Philistine from the un~twisted flax. figurative.1533 T. More Debellacyon Salem & Bizance i. v. f. xxxii^v He spynneth that fyne lye without flex, fetchyng it out of his own body as the spider spynneth her cobwebbe. b. plural. Different sorts or qualities of flax. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > sorts or qualities of Russia1770 flaxes1886 1886 Daily News 6 Sept. 2/4 There is a brisk inquiry for tows, hemps, and flaxes. †4. As a material of which a candle or lamp wick is made; the wick itself. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [noun] > wick flaxc975 candle-wickc1000 wickc1000 matcha1398 torch-wick1444 the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > candle > [noun] > wick > material for making flaxc975 wick1391 wicking1847 c975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xii. 20 Flæx vel lin smikende ne adwæscet. c1380 Eng. Wycliffite Serm. in Sel. Wks. II. 189 Preestis of the chirche, þat smokiden bi pride as brent flex. a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) ii. xvii. sig. L.iii It is a thing right hard..to put flex vnto fyre, and yet kepe it from burning. 1560 Bible (Geneva) Isa. xlii. 3 The smoking flax shall he not quench. a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) v. iii. 55 Beautie..Shall to my flaming wrath, be Oyle and Flax . View more context for this quotation 1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry iv. sig. H Hee has made me smell (for all the world) like a flaxe, or a red headed womans chamber. 5. a. A material resembling the fibres of the flax-plant or used for a like purpose. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > other textiles obtained from plants > [noun] flax1553 vegetable silka1660 pulu1833 ramie1851 moc-main1857 China-grass1858 tree-wool1870 istle1883 arghan1922 1553 R. Eden tr. S. Münster Treat. Newe India sig. Diiij The flaxe whiche is lefte, they spinne agayne. 1624 J. Smith Gen. Hist. Virginia vi. 216 A kinde..of Flax, wherewith they make Nets. b. in the name of a variety of asbestos with flaxlike fibres, as earth flax n., fossil flax n., mountain flax n. For incombustible flax, see asbestos n. 2. ΚΠ 1860 J. G. Whittier Double-headed Snake 4 Whether he lurked in the Oldtown fen Or the gray earth-flax of the Devil's Den. 6. Cloth made of flax; linen. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > made from flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > linen linea700 flaxc897 linclothc1290 linen1362 flaxen1520 c897 K. Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care xiv. 87 Of ðære eorðan cymeð ðæt fleax, Ðæt bið hwites hiwes. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 236 Chastete þet is be-tokned be þe huite ulexe. 1574 J. Baret Aluearie F 643 That beareth or weareth flaxe or linnen. 1851 E. Wilson New Zealand 23 His robe of glossy flax which loosely flows. 1872 A. Domett Ranolf & Amohia v. iii. 93 In flowing vest of silky flax, undyed. Compounds C1. a. Simple attributive. General relations (with or without hyphen). flax-blade n. ΚΠ 1872 A. Domett Ranolf & Amohia i. v. 11 With flax-blades binding to a tree the Maid. † flax-bolle n. Obsolete See boll n.¹ ΚΠ c1325 Gloss. W. de Biblesw. in T. Wright Voc. 156 (note) Boceaus, flaxbolles [printed filaxlolles.] flax fibre n. ΚΠ 1875 Ure's Dict. Arts 409 Attempts have been made to prepare flax fibre without steeping. flax leaf n. ΚΠ 1884 T. Bracken Lays of Maori 69 Zephyrs stirred the flax leaves into tune. flax plant n. ΚΠ 1838 Penny Cycl. X. 305/1 The flax plants are passed between these cylinders. flax stalk n. ΚΠ 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 48 A Flax Brake is two pieces of Timber with Teeth made in them to bruse Flax stalks. flax stem n. ΚΠ 1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) II. 409 The immersion of the flax stems in water. flax-stick n. ΚΠ 1871 C. L. Money Knocking about in N.Z. iv. 52 Mogue [s is the] Maori name for a raupo or flax-stick raft. 1933 L. G. D. Acland in Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) 14 Oct. 15/7 The dried reed stalks..are called f[lax]-sticks. flax straw n. ΚΠ 1860 R. Hunt Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 5) II. 228 The sheaves of flax-straw are placed erect in crates. flax-swamp n. New Zealand. ΚΠ 1871 Lady M. A. Barker Christmas Cake in Four Quarters iv. i. 251 A view of downs rolling into a narrow gully, the flax swamp of which formed a natural boundary to one bit of the kitchen garden. 1926 H. Guthrie-Smith Tutira (ed. 2) 283 The destruction by fire of flax-swamps. † flax top n. Obsolete ΚΠ a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Ecclus. xxi. 10 A flax top gedered togidere [L. stuppa collecta] the synagoge of synneres. b. Concerned with flax as a commercial product. flax culture n. ΚΠ 1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) II. 455 Lands..prepared for flax culture. flax-factory n. flax-industry n. flax-man n. ΚΠ 1509 in Mkt. Harborough Records (1890) 232 Ric' Beale Flaxman. 1799 A. Young Gen. View Agric. County Lincoln 197 Let it to flaxmen at £3 or £4 per acre. 1808 C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Devon vii. 207 The flaxman only finding seed, and agreeing to have the field cleared by a given time. flax-merchant n. flax-mill n. ΚΠ 1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 221 The proprietors of many flax-mills. flax-shop n. ΚΠ 1600 A. Munday et al. First Pt. True Hist. Sir I. Old-castle sig. B4^v A man may make a flaxe shop in your kitchin chimnies, for any fire there is stirring. 1679 W. Bedloe Narr. Horrid Popish Plot 27 A Gentle-woman that kept a Flax-shop in the Minories. flax-spindle n. ΚΠ 1875 R. Hunt & F. W. Rudler Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 7) II. 456 The steam~driven flax-spindle. flax-tithe n. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > fixed proportion dues or taxes > [noun] > tithe > consisting of produce, stock, or animals tenth sheaf1387 predial1530 predial tithe1530 whitage1537 tithe pig1555 garb tithea1640 flax-tithe1692 1692 T. Rokeby Diary (1887) 18 Whether Flax-tyth were small tythes or not. c. Made of flax, as flax canvas, flax-sandal, flax-thread. ΚΠ 1872 A. Domett Ranolf & Amohia xxi. ii. 378 His feet—with green flax-sandals shod. 1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 210/1 Flax Canvas..may be procured in various degrees of fineness and make. 1891 Daily News 8 Dec. 5/8 Flax-thread and spun stuffs. d. Objective. flax-cutting n. flax-dresser n. ΚΠ 1632 R. Sherwood Dict. in R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues (new ed.) A flax-dresser, liniere. 1894 H. Speight Nidderdale & Garden of Nidd 304 As many as 800 flax-dressers. flax-dressing n. ΚΠ 1766 Compl. Farmer (at cited word) They laid out money for breeding apprentices to flax-raising and flax-dressing. 1874 A. Bathgate Colonial Experiences v. 52 Flax dressing is now a permanent industry. flax-growing n. flax-hackler n. ΚΠ 1780 A. Young Tour Ireland (Dublin ed.) I. 164 They next send it to a flax-hackler. flax raising n. ΚΠ 1766Flax-raising [see flax-dressing n.]. flax-spinner n. ΚΠ 1856 Farmer's Mag. Nov. 379 The severe trial the flaxspinners experienced. flax-spinning n. ΚΠ 1838 Penny Cycl. X. 305/2 Flax-spinning is now carried on with most success in..Yorkshire. † flax-swingler n. Obsolete ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > beating > one who hemp-beater1615 flax-swingler1663 scutcher1847 1663 MS Canterbury Marriage Licences Charles Abbot..flaxswingler. e. Referring to the colour of the flower of the flax, as flax-blue, flax-flower blue. ΚΠ 1899 Daily News 20 May 8/6 Flax-flower blue, a lovely shade that seems to reflect the summer sky itself. 1900 Daily News 28 July 6/7 Flax-blue Irish linen. C2. a. Special combinations. flax-bird n. (a) the North American goldfinch, Chrysomitris tristis; (b) U.S. ‘a book-name of the scarlet tanager, Piranga rubra’ ( Cent. Dict.); (c) dialect the common Whitethroat, Curruca cinerea. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > arboreal families > family Fringillidae (finch) > [noun] > subfamily Carduelinae > genus Carduelis > carduelis tristis yellowbird1625 yellow1794 flax-bird1823 1823 J. Latham Gen. Hist. Birds VI. 120 American Yellow Finch..feeds on the seeds of flax, alder, &c., and is called in the back parts of Carolina, the Flax Bird. † flax-box n. Obsolete a box to hold the flax or tow match for firing a caliver or matchlock. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > flax-box or match-box flax-box1576 matchbox1786 1576 in J. Harland Lancashire Lieutenancy under Tudors & Stuarts (1859) I. 77 Six calliuers, fyve flaxe boxes. flax-brake n. (see quot.). ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > other specific types of equipment > [noun] > other tools and equipment pollhache1324 poleaxe1356 muckrake1366 pestlea1382 botea1450 staff1459 press-board1558 reel1593 water crane1658 lathekin1659 tower1662 dressing hook1683 liner1683 hovel1686 flax-brake1688 nipper1688 horse1728 tap1797 feather-stick1824 bow1839 safety belt1840 economizer1841 throttle damper1849 cleat1854 leg brace1857 bark-peeler1862 pugging screw1862 nail driver1863 spool1864 turntable1865 ovate1872 tension bar1879 icebreaker1881 spreader1881 toucher1881 window pole1888 mushroom head1890 rat1894 slackline1896 auger1897 latch hook1900 thimble1901 horse1904 pipe jack1909 mulcher1910 hand plate1911 splashguard1917 cheese-cutter1927 airbrasive1945 impactor1945 fogger1946 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. iii. 48 A Flax Brake is two pieces of Timber with Teeth made in them to bruse Flax stalks. flax-breaker n. = flax-brake n. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > other specific machines > [noun] reeler1598 driver1659 rubber1747 heading machine1795 bruiser1809 finisher1835 stripper1835 physionotype1836 rotary1836 tetraspaston1842 netting-machine1846 speeder1847 dresser1855 spacer1857 starcher1862 bronzing liquid, machine1865 finishing machine1869 grader1869 brain machine1872 peanut roaster1872 bending machine1874 screw-machine1876 tire-upsetting-machine1877 buncher?1881 flax-breaker1889 oscillator1889 fluoroscope1893 fluorometer1897 mucker1916 spray dryer1921 paver1926 teabagger1940 burster1950 icemaker1953 laminator1958 slipform (concrete) paver1958 extruder1959 Zamboni1965 manipulator1968 wave machine1968 pipelayer1969 walking machine1971 1889 C. N. Elvin Dict. Heraldry 62/1 Flax-breaker. flax-comb n. an instrument for cleansing and straightening flax fibres, a flax-hackle. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > heckling > implement for hatchelc1300 hecklea1425 hacklec1485 hetch1598 flax-comb1611 hack1658 gill1819 flax-hackle1825 rougher1828 ruffer1853 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Brosse,..a flax-combe, or hatchell. 1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Flax-comb, the instrument with which the fibres of flax are cleansed from the brittle parts. flax-cotton n. cottonized flax. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > treated or processed textiles > [noun] > flax, hemp, or jute > cottonized flax-cotton1851 1851 J. R. Lowell Lett. (1894) I. 192 The flax-cotton is a great thing. † flax-finch n. Obsolete ? some species of finch. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > arboreal families > family Fringillidae (finch) > [noun] > unspecified and miscellaneous types of ligurine1572 ligury1598 flax-finch1640 Kate1774 winter finch1783 indigo-bird1864 Galapagos finch1888 mamo1891 Darwin's finch1936 1640 tr. J. A. Comenius Janua Linguarum Reserata (new ed.) xiv. §153 The goldfinch, larke, nightingale..and flaxfinch, are singing..birds. flax-hackle n. (see quot.). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > heckling > implement for hatchelc1300 hecklea1425 hacklec1485 hetch1598 flax-comb1611 hack1658 gill1819 flax-hackle1825 rougher1828 ruffer1853 1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 402 The flax-hackle is an instrument or tool constructed for the purpose of hackling or straightening the fibres of the flax. flax-honey n. New Zealand honey from bees feeding on flowers of Phormium tenax. ΚΠ 1950 G. Dempsey Wind from Sea ii. 20 There's plenty of flax-honey..the season has been too dry for clover honey. † flax-hoppe n. Obsolete a head or seed-pod of flax. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > yielding fibre, thatching, or basket material > [noun] > flax plants > seed or seed-vessel linseedc1000 hoppec1325 flax-hoppe14.. linget1477 line-boll1483 line1540 flaxseed1562 14.. in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 584/3 Folliculus, a flexhoppe. flax-hurd n. the coarse parts of flax, tow. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > treated or processed textiles > [noun] > flax, hemp, or jute > heckled > coarse parts hurdseOE oakumeOE tow1530 flax-hurd1614 tow hards1615 codilla1748 backings1780 swingling-tow1828 1614 G. Markham Cheape & Good Husbandry ii. iv. 93 A little Rozen melted together with Flaxehurds. 1673 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 8 6067 Lap the joynted place about with a little hemp or flax-hurds. flax-ripple n. (see quot.). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > removing seeds > implement for rippling combc1350 ripple?c1425 ripple-comb1499 ripple-stock?a1500 rippler1724 thrippling-comb1728 flax-ripple1880 1880 W. H. Patterson Gloss. Words Antrim & Down Flax-ripple, a comb with large iron teeth through which flax is drawn, to remove the bolls or seeds. flax-scutcher n. (see scutcher n.¹); so flax-scutching n. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > beating brakinga1398 ribbinga1398 swingling?a1500 swingling machine?a1500 tewtawing1707 scutching1733 flax-scutching1846 1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) I. 277 The first flax-scutching mill. flax-thrasher n. a machine for beating out the seeds from the bolls of the flax-plant. flax-wench n. a female flax-worker. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > woman who works with flax flax-wife1591 flax-woman1611 flax-wencha1616 a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) i. ii. 279 My Wife..deserues a Name As ranke as any Flax-Wench . View more context for this quotation flax-wife n. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > woman who works with flax flax-wife1591 flax-woman1611 flax-wencha1616 1591 R. Greene Notable Discouery of Coosenage f. 16^v How a Flaxe wife [etc.]. flax-woman n. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing flax, hemp, or jute > [noun] > woman who works with flax flax-wife1591 flax-woman1611 flax-wencha1616 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Filandiere, a Flaxe-woman. b. In the names of plants. flax-bush n. ΚΠ 1846 J. Lindley Veg. Kingdom iv. 203 In New Zealand they [Lilyworts] are represented by the Phormium or Flaxbush. 1854 W. Golder Pigeons' Parl. Introd. 5 I had..to pass the night..under the shade of a flax-bush. flax-dodder n. Cuscuta Epilinum. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants perceived as weeds or harmful plants > poisonous or harmful plants > parasitic plants > [noun] > dodder doddera1300 hellweedc1510 choke-fitch1562 epithyme1585 podagry1657 devil's guts1670 love bush1814 love vine1833 flax-dodder1852 red tangle1857 fairies' hair1868 1852 J. M. Wilson Farmer's Dict. Flax-dodder. flax-lily n. (see sense 2b). flax-tail n. a dialect name of the reed-mace, Typha latifolia. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > a grass or grasses > reedy or aquatic grasses > [noun] > bulrush or club-rush bulrushc1440 holrushc1440 glagol1480 cat's tail1548 reedmace1548 Typha1548 sun's brow1567 marsh beetle1578 marsh pestle1578 mat-rush1578 pole rush1578 water torch1578 water cat's-tail1597 ditch-down1611 doda1661 club-rush1677 deer-hair1777 club-grass1787 draw-ling1795 raupo1823 tule1837 boulder1847 blackheads1850 cat-o'-nine-tails1858 flax-tail1861 bull-sedge1879 mace reed1901 totora1936 1861 A. Pratt Flowering Plants & Ferns Great Brit. V. 313 The Reed-mace is in Kent often called Flax-tail. flax-weed n. Linaria vulgaris, toad-flax. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Scrophulariaceae (figwort and allies) > [noun] > toadflax or cancer-wort wild flaxa1400 cankerwortc1400 sulfc1450 linary1548 gall-wort1577 herb fluellin1578 toad-flax1578 cancerwort1597 flax-weed1597 linaria1597 butter and eggs1756 fluellin1756 1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 444 Tode flaxe is called of the herbaristes of our time, Linaria, or Flaxweede. flax-worts n. the name given by Lindley to the family Linaceæ. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > rosaceous plants > [noun] rosewort1845 flax-worts1846 prunoid1953 1846 J. Lindley Veg. Kingdom vii. 485 Linaceæ, Flaxworts. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022). flaxadj. Brit. /flaks/, U.S. /flæks/ Etymology: < flax n. rare. Having the colour of flax; flaxen. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > colour > named colours > yellow or yellowness > [adjective] > pale yellow gull13.. flaxen?1523 palew1547 straw-coloured1585 branlie1589 straw colour1589 flaxy1634 festucine1646 sulphureous1656 flaxenish1661 butter colour1665 strawy1668 straw-yellow1794 bombycinous1796 sulphur-coloured1811 sherry-yellow1813 sulphur-yellow1816 bombasic1825 straw1842 wax-coloured1842 stramineous1845 maize-coloured1852 daffodil1855 daw1856 flax1873 sherry-coloured1875 mastic1890 sulpho-chromic1895 ochroid1897 wheat-coloured1898 sulphurous1899 sulphury1900 tea rose1900 straw-pale1922 1873 R. Broughton Nancy II. 241 I have my flax hair built in many strange and differing fashions. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022). flaxv. Brit. /flaks/, U.S. /flæks/ Etymology: < flax n. 1. transitive. To wrap in fine linen. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > wrapping > wrap [verb (transitive)] > in or as in specific material brat1570 ensindon1609 paper1683 repaper1785 turban1822 flax1860 burlap1908 plastic wrap1946 wire-wrap1957 shrink-wrap1969 1860 C. Reade Cloister & Hearth IV. 368 And oh the sheets I lie in here..Dives was ne'er so flaxed as I. 2. U.S. a. transitive. To beat; apparently in allusion to the beating of flax. Also with out. Cf. flaxen v. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > hunting > hunt [verb (transitive)] > beat beata1400 to put upa1475 tuft1590 tusk1592 fowl1611 flaxa1848 brush1876 a1848 ‘Dow, Jr.’ Patent Serm. I. 54 Either flax out your opponent, or give nature special fits in the undertaking. 1867 J. R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd Ser. (new ed.) Introd. p. xxxvii I think..to flax for to beat [is American]. 1903 Dialect Notes 2 351 Flax out, v. phr. to wear out, be weary. ‘I'm all flaxed out.’ b. intransitive. to flax round: to ‘knock about,’ bestir oneself. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin action or activity [verb (intransitive)] > bestir oneself arisec825 to start upc1275 stirc1275 shifta1400 awakea1450 to put out one's fins?1461 wake1523 to shake one's ears1580 rouse1589 bestira1616 awaken1768 arouse1822 waken1825 to wake snakes1835 roust1841 to flax round1884 to get busy1896 to get one's arse in gear1948 1884 L. W. Baldwin Yankee School-teacher in Virginia iv. 29 I'm goin' to make some dried-apple fritters f'r dinner, an' you must flax roun' an' give me a lift. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.c897adj.1873v.a1848
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flaxn.

Compounds

flaxadj.

flaxv.