linen
n. C / Un. a strong, high-quality cloth made from the flax plant. It is often used to make cool summer clothes, tablecloths, and bed sheets.
n. a textile woven from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Often used collectively to refer to household items like sheets and towels.
She wore a light linen dress to the beach.
The hotel staff changes the bed linen every morning to ensure a fresh experience for the guests.
Prized for its exceptional breathability and durability in humid climates, linen remains a staple of high-end summer tailoring despite its tendency to wrinkle easily.
From Middle English lynnen, lynen, from Old English līnen (“linen", "made of flax”), from Proto-West Germanic līnīn (“made of flax”), from Proto-Germanic līną (“flax”), from Proto-Indo-European *līno- (“flax”), equivalent to line + -en. Cognate with Latin līnum (“flax”) and thus also Linum. More at line.
Uncountable when referring to the material or a collection of household items; countable when referring to specific types or varieties of the fabric.