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-lijn. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-lijn, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-lijn in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
-lijn you have here. The definition of the word
-lijn will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
-lijn, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch -line (such as vogheline (“little bird”)), and it initially arose from -ing in words ending in -l. Cognate to German -lein (possibly influenced by the High German forms).
Pronunciation
Suffix
-lijn
- (obsolete) suffix used to create a diminutive form; e.g., vogel → vogelijn
Usage notes
No longer productive, but still found in a small number of fixed diminutives, like parelijn (“little pearl”), lievelijn (“sweetie”), maagdelijn (“virgin; maiden, girl”), sterrelijn (“little star”), vendelijn (“small flag”), vogelijn (“little bird”) and Duimelijntje (“Thumbelina”).