flax
A plant of the genus Linum, especially Linum usitatissimum, which has a single, slender stalk, about a foot and a half high, with blue flowers. Also known as linseed, especially when referring to the seeds.
Other meanings
The fibers of Linum usitatissimum, grown to make linen and related textiles.
A flax bush, a plant of the genus Phormium, native to New Zealand, with strap-like leaves up to 3 metres long that grow in clumps.
Related words
- New Zealand flax
Example sentences
Word history
From Old English "fleax".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “flax” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.