lint

 
Pronunciation: /lɪnt/

noun

[mass noun]
  • 1short, fine fibres which separate from the surface of cloth or yarn during processing: some fabrics leave tiny specks of lint on the glass
  • Scottish flax fibres prepared for spinning.
  • the fibrous material of a cotton boll.
  • 2a fabric, originally of linen, with a raised nap on one side, used for dressing wounds: he smeared ointment on a strip of lint

Derivatives

linty

adjective

Origin:

late Middle English lynnet 'flax prepared for spinning', perhaps from Old French linette 'linseed', from lin 'flax'