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[lahyn] /laɪn/

noun
1.
a mark or stroke long in proportion to its breadth, made with a pen, pencil, tool, etc., on a surface:
a line down the middle of the page.
2.
Mathematics. a continuous extent of length, straight or curved, without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point.
3.
something arranged along a line, especially a straight line; a row or series:
a line of trees.
4.
a number of persons standing one behind the other and waiting their turns at or for something; queue.
5.
something resembling a traced line, as a band of color, a seam, or a furrow:
lines of stratification in rock.
6.
a furrow or wrinkle on the face, neck, etc.:
lines around the eyes.
7.
an indication of demarcation; boundary; limit:
the county line; a fine line between right and wrong.
8.
a row of written or printed letters, words, etc.:
a page of 30 lines.
9.
a verse of poetry:
A line in iambic pentameter contains five feet.
10.
Usually, lines. the words of an actor’s part in a drama, musical comedy, etc.:
to rehearse one’s lines.
11.
a short written message:
Drop me a line when you’re on vacation.
12.
a system of public conveyances, as buses or trains, plying regularly over a fixed route:
the northbound line at State Street.
13.
a transportation or conveyance company:
a steamship line.
14.
a course of direction; route:
the line of march down Main Street.
15.
a course of action, procedure, thought, policy, etc.:
That newspaper follows the communist line.
16.
a piece of pertinent or useful information (usually followed by on):
I’ve got a line on a good used car.
17.
a series of generations of persons, animals, or plants descended from a common ancestor:
a line of kings.
18.
a department of activity; occupation or business:
What line are you in?
19.
Informal. a mode of conversation, especially one that is glib or exaggerated in order to impress or influence another person:
He really handed her a line about his rich relatives.
20.
a straight line drawn from an observed object to the fovea of the eye.
21.
lines.

22.
a circle of the terrestrial or celestial sphere:
the equinoctial line.
23.
(def 7).
24.
Fine Arts.

25.
Television. one scanning line.
26.
Telecommunications.

27.
the line, Geography. the equator.
28.
a stock of commercial goods of the same general class but having a range of styles, sizes, prices, or quality:
the company’s line of shoes.
29.
an assembly line.
30.
Law. a limit defining one estate from another; the outline or boundary of a piece of real estate.
31.
Bridge. a line on a score sheet that separates points scored toward game (below the line) from points scored by setting a contract, having honors, etc. (above the line)
32.
Music. any of the straight, horizontal, parallel strokes of the staff, or one placed above or below the staff.
33.
Military.

34.
an arrangement of troops of an army or of ships of a fleet as drawn up for battle:
line of battle.
35.
a body or formation of troops or ships drawn up abreast (distinguished from (def 6.)).
36.
the class of officers serving with combatant units or warships.
37.
the regular forces of an army or navy.
38.
that part of an administrative organization consisting of persons actively engaged on a given project.
Compare 1 (def 4).
39.
a thread, string, cord, rope, or the like.
40.
a clothesline:
the wash hanging on the line.
41.
a cord, wire, or the like, used for measuring or as a guide.
42.
Nautical.

43.
Slang. a small quantity of cocaine arranged in the form of a slender thread or line, as for sniffing.
44.
Also, ligne. a unit equal to 1/40 (0.025) inch (0.64 mm), for measuring the diameter of buttons.
45.
Angling. a length of nylon, silk, linen, cord, or the like, to which are attached the leader, hook, sinker, float, etc.
46.
Football.

47.
the betting odds established by bookmakers for events not covered by pari-mutuel betting, especially sporting events, as football or basketball.
48.
Ice Hockey. the two wings and center who make up a team’s offensive unit.
49.
Fencing. any of the four divisions of the portion of a fencer’s body on which a touch can be scored, taken as an area of attack or defense.
50.
Textiles. the longer and preferred flax or hemp fibers.
Compare 2 (def 2).
51.
Fox Hunting. the trail of scent left by a fox.
52.
a unit of length equivalent to 1/12 (0.0833) inch (2.12 millimeters).
53.
Insurance.

54.
Australian Slang. a girl or woman.
verb (used without object), lined, lining.
55.
to take a position in a line; range (often followed by up):
to line up before the start of a parade.
56.
Baseball.

verb (used with object), lined, lining.
57.
to bring into a line, or into line with others (often followed by up):
to line up troops.
58.
to mark with a line or lines:
to line paper for writing.
59.
to sketch verbally or in writing; (often followed by out):
We followed the plan he had lined out.
60.
to arrange a line along:
to line a coast with colonies.
61.
to form a line along:
Rocks lined the drive.
62.
to apply to (the eyes).
63.
to delineate with or as if with lines; draw:
to line the silhouette of a person’s head.
64.
Archaic. to measure or test with a line.
Verb phrases
65.
line out,

66.
line up, to secure; make available:
to line up support; to line up a speaker for the banquet.
Idioms
67.
bring / come / get into line,

68.
cross the line, to go beyond accepted standards of behavior:
His outburst crossed the line between heated argument and offensive vilification.
Sometimes, cross a boundary.
69.
down the line,

70.
draw the line, to impose a restriction; limit:
They might exaggerate but would draw the line at outright lying.
71.
go up in one’s lines, Theater. to forget one’s part during a performance.
Also, British, go up on one’s lines.
72.
hold the line, to maintain the status quo, especially in order to forestall unfavorable developments:
We’re trying to hold the line on prices.
73.
in line,

74.
in line with, in agreement or conformity with:
The action taken was in line with her decision.
75.
in the line of duty, in the execution of the duties belonging to some occupation, especially with regard to the responsibility for life and death:
a policeman wounded in the line of duty.
Also, in line of duty.
76.
lay it on the line, Informal.

77.
off line,

78.
on a line, Baseball. (of a batted or thrown ball) through the air in an approximately straight line from the point of impact or delivery:
hit on a line between third and short; thrown in on a line from the center fielder.
79.
on line,

80.
on the line, Informal.

81.
out of line,

82.
read between the lines, to understand the unexpressed but implied meaning of something said or written:
Her letter sounded cheerful enough, but I read a certain sadness between the lines.
83.
toe the line / mark,

[on-lahyn, awn-] /ˈɒnˈlaɪn, ˈɔn-/
adjective
1.
operating under the direct control of, or connected to, a main computer.
2.
connected by computer to one or more other computers or networks, as through a commercial electronic information service or the Internet.
3.
of or denoting a business that transmits electronic information over telecommunications lines:
an online bookstore.
4.
available or operating on a computer or computer network:
an online dictionary.
5.
by means of or using a computer:
online shopping.
6.
Radio. (of a network) supplying affiliated stations with all or a substantial part of their programming.
7.
Television. of or relating to the final editing of a videotaped program.
8.
done or accomplished while in operation or active service:
online maintenance.
9.
located on major routes or rail lines:
online industries.
adverb
10.
with or through a computer, especially over a network.
/laɪn/
noun
1.
a narrow continuous mark, as one made by a pencil, pen, or brush across a surface
2.
such a mark cut into or raised from a surface
3.
a thin indented mark or wrinkle
4.
a straight or curved continuous trace having no breadth that is produced by a moving point
5.
(maths)

6.
a border or boundary: the county line
7.
(sport)

8.
(American football)

9.
a specified point of change or limit: the dividing line between sanity and madness
10.

11.
anything long, flexible, and thin, such as a wire or string: a washing line, a fishing line
12.
a telephone connection: a direct line to New York
13.

14.
a system of travel or transportation, esp over agreed routes: a shipping line
15.
a company operating such a system
16.
a route between two points on a railway
17.
(mainly Brit)

18.
(NZ) a roadway usually in a rural area
19.
a course or direction of movement or advance: the line of flight of a bullet
20.
a course or method of action, behaviour, etc: take a new line with him
21.
a policy or prescribed course of action or way of thinking (often in the phrases bring or come into line)
22.
a field of study, interest, occupation, trade, or profession: this book is in your line
23.
alignment; true (esp in the phrases in line, out of line)
24.
one kind of product or article: a nice line in hats
25.
(NZ) a collection of bales of wool all of the one type
26.
a row of persons or things: a line of cakes on the conveyor belt
27.
a chronological or ancestral series, esp of people: a line of prime ministers
28.
a row of words printed or written across a page or column
29.
a unit of verse consisting of the number of feet appropriate to the metre being used and written or printed with the words in a single row
30.
a short letter; note: just a line to say thank you
31.
a piece of useful information or hint about something: give me a line on his work
32.
one of a number of narrow horizontal bands forming a television picture
33.
(physics) a narrow band in an electromagnetic spectrum, resulting from a transition in an atom, ion, or molecule of a gas or plasma
34.
(music)

35.
a unit of magnetic flux equal to 1 maxwell
36.
a defensive or fortified position, esp one that marks the most forward position in war or a national boundary: the front line
37.
line ahead, line abreast, a formation adopted by a naval unit for manoeuvring
38.
a formation adopted by a body or a number of military units when drawn up abreast
39.
the combatant forces of certain armies and navies, excluding supporting arms
40.
(fencing) one of four divisions of the target on a fencer’s body, considered as areas to which specific attacks are made
41.
the scent left by a fox
42.

43.
the amount of insurance written by an underwriter for a particular risk
44.
(US & Canadian) a line of people, vehicles, etc, waiting for something Also called (in Britain and certain other countries) queue
45.
(slang) a portion of a powdered drug for snorting
46.
(slang) something said for effect, esp to solicit for money, sex, etc: he gave me his usual line
47.
above the line

48.
below the line

49.
all along the line

50.
(Irish & Austral, informal) do a line, to associate (with a person of the opposite sex) regularly; go out (with): he is doing a line with her
51.
draw the line, to reasonably object (to) or set a limit (on): her father draws the line at her coming in after midnight
52.
(informal) get a line on, to obtain information about
53.
hold the line

54.
in line for, in the running for; a candidate for: he’s in line for a directorship
55.
in line with, conforming to
56.
in the line of duty, as a necessary and usually undesired part of the performance of one’s responsibilities
57.
lay on the line, put on the line

58.
(informal) shoot a line, to try to create a false image, as by boasting or exaggerating
59.
step out of line, to fail to conform to expected standards, attitudes, etc
60.
toe the line, to conform to expected standards, attitudes, etc
verb
61.
(transitive) to mark with a line or lines
62.
(transitive) to draw or represent with a line or lines
63.
(transitive) to be or put as a border to: tulips lined the lawns
64.
to place in or form a row, series, or alignment
/laɪn/
verb (transitive)
1.
to attach an inside covering to (a garment, curtain, etc), as for protection, to hide the seaming, or so that it should hang well
2.
to cover or fit the inside of: to line the walls with books
3.
to fill plentifully: a purse lined with money
4.
to reinforce the back of (a book) with fabric, paper, etc
/ˈɒnˌlaɪn/
adjective
1.
of, relating to, or concerned with a peripheral device that is directly connected to and controlled by the central processing unit of a computer
2.
of or relating to the internet: online shopping
3.
occurring as part of, or involving, a continuous sequence of operations, such as a production line
adverb
4.
while connected to a computer or the internet
adj.

in reference to computers, “directly connected to a peripheral device,” 1950 (originally as on-line).
n.

a Middle English merger of Old English line “cable, rope; series, row, row of letters; rule, direction,” and Old French ligne “guideline, cord, string; lineage, descent;” both from Latin linea “linen thread, string, line,” from phrase linea restis “linen cord,” from fem. of lineus (adj.) “of linen,” from linum “linen” (see linen).

Oldest sense is “rope, cord, string;” extended late 14c. to “a thread-like mark” (from sense “cord used by builders for making things level,” mid-14c.), also “track, course, direction.” Sense of “things or people arranged in a straight line” is from 1550s. That of “cord bearing hooks used in fishing” is from c.1300. Meaning “one’s occupation, branch of business” is from 1630s, probably from misunderstood KJV translation of 2 Cor. x:16, “And not to boast in another mans line of things made ready to our hand,” where line translates Greek kanon, literally “measuring rod.” Meaning “class of goods in stock” is from 1834. Meaning “telegraph wire” is from 1847 (later “telephone wire”).

Meaning “policy or set of policies of a political faction” is 1892, American English, from notion of a procession of followers; this is the sense in party line. In British army, the Line (1802) is the regular, numbered troops, as distinguished from guards and auxiliaries. In the Navy (1704, e.g. ship of the line) it refers to the battle line. Lines “words of an actor’s part” is from 1882. Lines of communication were originally transverse trenches in siegeworks.
v.

“to cover the inner side of,” late 14c., from Old English lin “linen cloth” (see linen). Linen was frequently used in the Middle Ages as a second layer of material on the inner side of a garment. Related: Lined; lining.

late 14c., “to tie with a cord,” from line (n.). Meaning “to mark or mark off with lines” is from mid-15c. Sense of “to arrange in a line” is from 1640s; that of “to join a line” is by 1773. To line up “form a line” is attested by 1889, in U.S. football.

line (līn)
n.

line
(līn)
A geometric figure formed by a point moving in a fixed direction and in the reverse direction. The intersection of two planes is a line. ◇ The part of a line that lies between two points on the line is called a line segment.
online
(ŏn’līn’)
Connected to or accessible by means of a computer or computer network.

A set of points that have one dimension — length — but no width or height. (See coordinates.)

A term referring to locations on or use of the Internet. The term can be used to refer to a specific location or Web page (“Our sales catalogues can be found online at — ”) or to a personal activity (“I went online to find the information you wanted.”)

noun

verb

Related Terms

someone’s ass is on the line, the bottom line, chow line, hard line, hot line, in line, in line for, lay it on the line, main line, on line, on the line, out of line, punch line, put one’s ass on the line, redline, shoot someone a line, stag line, toe the mark

jargon
1. Ready for use. E.g. “The graph plotter’s fixed and on-line again”.
2. Interactive as opposed to batch. Accessible via a computer (or terminal), rather than on paper or other medium.
3. Of a user, actively using a computer system, especially the Internet. E.g “I haven’t been on-line for three days.”
“On-line” should be hyphenated because it is compounded from two words but the hyphen is often omitted in names of organisations or services.
(1998-12-22)