Meanings
linnet1
plural linnets
- A small passerine bird, the common linnet (Linaria cannabina syn. Carduelis cannabina), in the finch family Fringillidae, native to Europe, western Asia, and north Africa.
I heard a linnet courting His lady in the spring […]
1890, Robert Bridges, The Shorter Poems of Robert Bridges, Book I, V1 more example
I do but sing because I must, And pipe but as the linnets sing: And unto one her note is gay, For now her little ones have ranged; And unto one her note is changed, Because her brood is stol’n away.
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 36Synonyms: lintwhite
- USA house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), of North America.
Linnet2
- A female given name from English, occasionally recorded since the 19th century.
1 more example
Lindy herself hated the name Lindy. She said it sounded like a girl in pink gingham. At the beginning of this school year she'd started making all the teachers address her by her full name, Linnet. (She'd been named for an English bird that a soldier had mentioned to their mother during the war.) At first Karen had tried to call her that too, but it had felt so unnatural that she'd gradually given it up.
2004, Anne Tyler, The Amateur Marriage, →ISBN, page 105
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small passerine bird, the common linnet (Linaria cannabina syn. Carduelis cannabina), in the finch family Fringillidae, native to Europe, western Asia, and north Africa.
More synonyms by meaning
nounsmall finch originally of the western United States and Mexico
nounsmall Old World finch whose male has a red breast and forehead
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
linnet · noun
- Old Englishlīnete
- Old Frenchlinette
- Englishlinnet
From Old French linette, from lin (“flax”), from the bird's fondness for the seeds of flax, the source of linen and Old English līnete, līnetwige (“linnet”) (> dialectal English lintwhite).
More words from Old French, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian конопарче
- конопарче (konoparče)Carduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Czech konopka
- konopkaCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Dutch kneu
- kneuCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Esperanto kanabeno
- kanabenoCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Finnish hemppo
- hemppoCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
French linotte
- linotteCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
German Hänfling
- HänflingCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Hungarian kenderike
- kenderikeCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Irish gleoiseach, coinnleoir óir
- gleoiseachCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
- coinnleoir óirCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Italian fanello
- fanelloCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Latin linaria
- linariaCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Persian ژورک
- ژورک (žurak)Carduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Polish makolągwa
- makolągwaCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Portuguese pintarroxo
- pintarroxoCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Romanian cânepar
- câneparCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Russian конопля́нка
- конопля́нка (konopljánka)Carduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Scottish Gaelic gealbhonn-lìn, breacan-beithe
- gealbhonn-lìnCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
- breacan-beitheCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Spanish pardillo
- pardilloCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Swedish hämpling
- hämplingCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Turkish keten kuşu
- keten kuşuCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Ukrainian конопля́нка, конопля́рка
- конопля́нка (konopljánka)Carduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
- конопля́рка (konopljárka)Carduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
- конопля́ник (konopljányk)Carduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
- конопе́льник (konopélʹnyk)Carduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
- конопля́р (konopljár)Carduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Welsh llinos, adar y llin
- llinosCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
- adar y llinCarduelis cannabina, a finch of Europe, western Asia and northern Africa
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with linnet
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
linnet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/linnet
“linnet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/linnet. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “linnet,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/linnet.
Source: linnet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.