Lin
proper nounproper nounproper nouncommon in dialogue
- United States//ˈlɪn//
A male or female given name.
proper noun
- 1
A male or female given name.
- 2
A surname
proper noun
- 1
A surname from Chinese, equivalent to English Forest, Woods, or Grove A surname from Mandarin
- 2
A surname from Chinese, equivalent to English Forest, Woods, or Grove A surname from Gan
- 3
A surname from Chinese, equivalent to English Forest, Woods, or Grove A surname from Wu
- 4
A surname from Chinese, equivalent to English Forest, Woods, or Grove A surname from Xiang
Etymology
From Chinese: compare Mandarin 林 (lín), Gan 林 (lin⁴), Wu 林, Xiang 林 (lin²). 林 itself is composed of a reduplication of 木 (“wood, tree”). Literally, “forest”.
proper noun
- 1
A county of Lüliang, Shanxi, China.
Together with his friend Tang Min, chief economist of the Asian Development Bank, Mao established a micro-credit scheme in Lin County of north China’s Shanxi province eight years ago.
As mines increasingly became privatized, the profits no longer necessarily came to the villages and a major dispute was triggered in Lin County (Shanxi) in 2008 partly because the population felt they had received no benefits from the local mines (Nanfang dushi bao 22 October 2009).
Etymology
From Mandarin 臨／临 (Lín).
Forms
- plural
- Lins