An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/lind

by Friedrich Kluge

lind, gelinde, adj., ‘gentle,’ from MidHG. linde, OHG. lindi, adj., ‘soft, gentle, tender, mild’ (Goth. *linþs is wanting); corresponding to OSax. lîthi, AS. lîþe, ‘mild, friendly, soft,’ E. lithe. In Scand. an exact correspondence is not found; the term used is linr, ‘friendly, mild, soft’ (whence Lapp. lines is borrowed), which with Bav. len, ‘soft,’ Du. lenig, ‘pliant,’ points to the fact that the dental of the G. and E. words is a suffix. Hence lin- is the root from which are formed in OTeut. Goth. af-linnan, ‘to go away, yield,’ OIc. linna, ‘to cease,’ AS. linnan, ‘to cease, part from, lose,’ OHG. bilinnan, ‘to relax, leave off.’ Therefore the Teut. root meant orig. ‘yielding disposition.’ Comp. OSlov. lěnŭ, ‘lazy,’ Lat. lên-i-s, ‘gentle, mild,’ and lentus, ‘flexible, pliant.’