Lining

How to spell lining

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce lining

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does lining mean?

1. nounA layer of material attached to the inside of a garment, container, or surface.
2. verbPresent participle of 'line': covering an inner surface, or forming a row along something.

Lining in a sentence

• noun

  The silk lining of the jacket had started to fray at the seams.

• verb

  The staff were busy lining the shelves with fresh paper before the inspection.

• noun

  A thick lining of insulation keeps the loft warm in winter.

• verb

  Spectators were lining the route an hour before the parade began.

Where does lining come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word grows out of the verb 'to line', which itself comes from the noun 'line', a borrowing from the Latin 'linea' meaning a thread or string spun from flax, that is, from linen. The link is wonderfully concrete: when medieval tailors wanted to reinforce or pad the inside of a garment, they backed it with linen cloth, so 'to line' literally meant to fit something with an inner layer of linen. The present participle and verbal noun 'lining' then came to name that inner layer itself, whatever fabric it was actually made of, and the word entered English in the late Middle Ages. Because the base word is 'line', the spelling follows the ordinary drop-the-e rule before -ing, giving a single n; the temptation to write 'lineing' or to double the consonant is the main trap. The same flaxen Latin root sits quietly inside 'linen', 'linseed', and even 'lingerie'.

How the word is built

• line (from Latin linea: a linen thread or string)
• -ing (noun/verb suffix)