Lind

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A poetic or archaic name for the linden tree, a tall deciduous tree with heart-shaped leaves ; an old word describing something soft, gentle or mild in manner
2. Another name for the linden tree, often used in older verse ; a dated adjective meaning tender, soft or mild in temperament
3. The old poetic term for a linden, a broad shade tree with fragrant flowers ; an archaic way of describing someone or something gentle and mild

Etymology: The noun "lind" is an old English word for the linden tree, the broad-leaved tree better known in English as lime or basswood. It came into Middle English from Old English "lind," and its roots run back to a Proto-Germanic form "lindō," which is also the ancestor of German "Linde" and Dutch "linde," both still used for the same tree. What makes the word worth a second look is how little it has changed across more than a thousand years of Germanic speech. The same tree name has survived almost intact in English, German, Dutch and Swedish, while the English version has largely retreated to poetry and place names. Its distant relative in Albanian, "lëndë," means "wood" or "timber," a sense that hints at the material the tree once supplied.

Synonyms: linden, lime