Lein
German, noun/laɪ̯n/
Lein is spelled L-E-I-N (4 letters) and appears about once in every 2 million words in written German, the 52,749th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Lein is a German masculine noun meaning “linen” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “Vertreter der Pflanzengattung Linum”.
What does Lein mean in English?
noun
- 1
masculinelinen
- 2
masculineflax
suffix
- 1
neutersuffix used to create a diminutive form; e.g. Kind → Kindlein
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
suffix: 1. Wortbildungselement der Verkleinerung, Bestandteil von Diminutivformen; im Gebrauch im Norddeutschen kaum, im Mitteldeutschen indifferent und oft im Wechsel mit -chen und im Süddeutschen am häufigsten
noun: 1. Vertreter der Pflanzengattung Linum 2. speziell der als Faser- und Ölpflanze kultivierte Flachs (Linum usitatissimum)
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of Lein
- Leines genitive
- Leins genitive
- Leine plural
- Leinen dative definite plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce Lein?
- /laɪ̯n/
- [laɪ̯n]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to Lein
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is Lein in German?
Lein appears about once in every 2 million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).