Linden

How to spell linden

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce linden

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does linden mean?

1. nounA broad-leaved tree with heart-shaped leaves and fragrant pale flowers, also known as the lime tree or basswood.

Linden in a sentence

• A row of linden trees lined the quiet avenue outside the town hall.

• The bees worked steadily through the fragrant linden blossom in early summer.

Where does linden come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word goes back to the Old English noun lind, the native name for the tree that the British also call the lime (no relation to the citrus fruit). From lind came the adjective linden, literally meaning 'made of lime wood' or 'of the lime tree', much as 'golden' means 'made of gold' or 'wooden' means 'made of wood'. Over time the adjective was treated as a noun in its own right, so the tree itself came to be called the linden. The root is broadly Germanic: closely related forms survive in German Linde and in the famous Berlin avenue Unter den Linden, meaning 'under the lindens'. The soft, easily carved wood of these trees was long prized for shields and fine carving, which is why so many old place names and surnames preserve the lind element.

How the word is built

• lind (Old English for the lime tree)
• -en (adjectival suffix meaning 'made of' or 'pertaining to')