An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Leine

by Friedrich Kluge

Leine, f., ‘line,’ from MidHG. and MidLG. lîne, f., late OHG. lîna, f., ‘rope, cable, line,’ espec. ‘towline.’ The derivation from Lat. lînea is doubtful, because the latter does not signify ‘cable’ even in MidLat. but specially ‘plumb-line,’ and in MidLat. ‘measure of length.’ As far as the sense is concerned, the word is more closely connected with Lat. lînum, ‘thread, cable, rope’; hence OHG. lîna is the plur. of the Lat. word. In Rom. and MidLat., however, lînum does not occur in this sense. Perhaps Leine, as an independent Teut. derivative of lîn, ‘linen,’ corresponds to Gr. λιναία, λινέα, ‘rope, cord’?. In that case AS. lîne, E. line, and OIc. lína (Goth. *leinjô, lit. ‘what is prepared from flax’), are also formed according to the genuinely Teut. principle (suffix, jôn).