Meanings
lint1
lint2
present singular third person lints · participle present linting · participle past linted · past linted
- transitivecomputingTo perform a static check on (source code) to detect stylistic or programmatic errors.
You should lint your JavaScript code before committing it.
Lint3
Origin
lint · noun
- Latinlīnum“flax”
- Medieval Latinlinteum
- Old Frenchlinette“grain of flax”
- Middle Englishlynet
- Englishlint
From Middle English lynet, linet, from Old French linette (“grain of flax”), diminutive of lin (“flax”); or, from Medieval Latin linteum, from Latin līnum (“flax”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →lint · verb
From the lint Unix utility, written in 1979, which analyses programs written in the C language, itself named after the undesirable bits of fiber and fluff found in sheep's wool (see etymology 1).
Full word history & related roots →Lint · proper noun
* As an occupational English surname, from the noun lint, chiefly in the Scottish English sense "flax fibers for spinning." * As a Dutch surname, from several placenames with the element Lint, probably from linde (“lime tree”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans wolletjies
- wolletjiesfuzzy fluff
Ancient Greek ξύσμα
- ξύσμα (xúsma)a fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
Bulgarian марля
- марля (marlja)a fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
Catalan borrissol, gasa
- borrissolfuzzy fluff
- gasaa fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
Chinese Mandarin 絨毛 /绒毛
- 絨毛 /绒毛 (róngmáo)fuzzy fluff
Danish fnug
- fnugfuzzy fluff
Dutch pluis, pluksel
- pluisfuzzy fluff
- plukselfuzzy fluff
- pluisa fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
Esperanto ĉarpio
- ĉarpiofuzzy fluff
Finnish nukka, nöyhtä
- nukkafuzzy fluff
- nöyhtäfuzzy fluff
- pumpulia fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
- vanua fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
- hahtuvafibrous coat of thick hairs covering the seeds of the cotton plant
French peluche, mouton
- peluchefuzzy fluff
- moutonfuzzy fluff
- charpiea fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
German Fussel, Fluse
- Fusselfuzzy fluff
- Flusefuzzy fluff
- Verbandmulla fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
- Scharpiea fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
- Flaumfibrous coat of thick hairs covering the seeds of the cotton plant
Hungarian szösz
- szöszfuzzy fluff
Irish clúmh, línolann
- clúmhfuzzy fluff
- línolanna fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
Italian lanugine
- lanuginefuzzy fluff
Japanese 糸屑, 綿埃
- 糸屑 (itokuzu)fuzzy fluff
- 綿埃 (watabokori)fuzzy fluff
- [navel lint:] 臍の胡麻 (heso no goma)fuzzy fluff
- リント布 (rinto fu)a fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
Māori kerehunga, perehunga
- kerehungafuzzy fluff
- perehungafuzzy fluff
- tawhefuzzy fluff
Norwegian lo, lo
- lofuzzy fluff
- loa fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
Polish kłaczek, szarpie
- kłaczekfuzzy fluff
- szarpiea fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
- kłaczekfibrous coat of thick hairs covering the seeds of the cotton plant
- włókna bawełnyraw cotton ready for baling
Portuguese cotão, gaze
- cotãofuzzy fluff
- gazea fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
- cotãofibrous coat of thick hairs covering the seeds of the cotton plant
Romanian scamă
- scamăfuzzy fluff
Russian ворси́нка, пух
- ворси́нка (vorsínka)fuzzy fluff
- пух (pux)fuzzy fluff
- линт (lint)a fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
- ко́рпия (kórpija)a fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
Spanish pelusa, tamo
- pelusafuzzy fluff
- tamofuzzy fluff
- flojelfuzzy fluff
- flojuelofuzzy fluff
- gasaa fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
Swedish ludd
- luddfuzzy fluff
Welsh gwlaniach, naddion llin
- gwlaniachfuzzy fluff
- naddion llina fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
- nadd lliaina fine material made by scraping cotton or linen cloth
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with lint
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
lint. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lint
“lint.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lint. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lint,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lint.
Source: lint on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.