From Middle English linke, lenke, from a merger of Old English hlenċe, hlenċa (“ring; chainlink”) and Old Norse *hlenkr, hlekkr (“ring; chain”); both from Proto-Germanic *hlankiz (“ring; bond; fettle; fetter”), from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“bendsome, flexible”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng-, *klenk- (“to bend; twist; wind”). Used in English since the 14th century. Related to lank. Cognates Cognate with Low German Lenk (“link”), Danish lænke (“chain; link”), Elfdalian lekk (“link”), Icelandic hlekkur (“link”), Norwegian Bokmål lenke (“chain; link”), Norwegian Nynorsk lenke, lenkje (“chain; link”), Swedish länk (“chain; link”).
A connection between places, people, events, things, or ideas.
The mayor’s assistant serves as the link to the media.
The link of brotherhood, by which / One common Maker bound me to the kind.1782–1785, William Cowper, “(please specify the page)”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], →OCLC:
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And so by double lynkes enchaynde themselues in louers life1573, George Gascoigne, A Hundreth Sundry Flowres:
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One element of a chain or other connected series.
The third link of the silver chain needs to be resoldered.
Mathematics, Sciences A space comprising one or more disjoint knots.
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A thin wild bank of land splitting two cultivated patches and often linking two hills.
They used formerly to live in caves or huts dug into the side of a bank or "link," and lined with heath or straw.2008, Richard John King, A Handbook for Travellers in Kent and Sussex:
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Figuratively An individual person or element in a system.
But know that God is the strongest link.2010, James O. Young, My Sheep Know My Voice: anointed poetry, AuthorHouse, page 32:
The fuse is the weakest link in the system. As such, the fuse is also the most valuable link in the system.2010, William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler, Universal Principles of Design, RockPort, page 262:
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“[…] This is so that nobody can change the way every link must talk about the formula that I taught to make a real Chain of Universal Love and not a Chain of Love of a group or sect.”2010, Stephen Fairweather, The Missing Book of Genesis, AuthorHouse, page 219:
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Anything doubled and closed like a link of a chain.
a link of horsehair1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC:
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A sausage that is not a patty.
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Any one of the several elementary pieces of a mechanism, such as the fixed frame, or a rod, wheel, mass of confined liquid, etc., by which relative motion of other parts is produced and constrained.
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Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (in steam engines) the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion.
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Geography, Natural sciences, Surveying The length of one joint of Gunter's chain, being the hundredth part of it, or 7.92 inches, the chain being 66 feet in length.
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Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A bond of affinity, or a unit of valence between atoms; applied to a unit of chemical force or attraction.
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In plural The windings of a river; the land along a winding stream.
'Dame Foljambe,' said the old man, 'the march of thy tale is like the course of the Wye, seventeen miles of links and windings down a fair valley five miles long. […]'1822, Allan Cunningham, “The King of the Peak”, in Traditional Tales of the English and Scottish Peasantry, volume 1, page 222:
Too much talk on a music-based station can cause listeners who tune in for the music to go elsewhere. […] 'Some people will say “your link has to be 45 seconds long” but I don't do that,' explains the programme controller of Trent FM, Dick Stone.2002, Carole Fleming, The Radio Handbook, page 53:
From Middle English linke, lenke, from a merger of Old English hlenċe, hlenċa (“ring; chainlink”) and Old Norse *hlenkr, hlekkr (“ring; chain”); both from Proto-Germanic *hlankiz (“ring; bond; fettle; fetter”), from Proto-Germanic *hlankaz (“bendsome, flexible”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleng-, *klenk- (“to bend; twist; wind”). Used in English since the 14th century. Related to lank. Cognates Cognate with Low German Lenk (“link”), Danish lænke (“chain; link”), Elfdalian lekk (“link”), Icelandic hlekkur (“link”), Norwegian Bokmål lenke (“chain; link”), Norwegian Nynorsk lenke, lenkje (“chain; link”), Swedish länk (“chain; link”).
All the tribes and nations that composed it [the Roman Empire] were linked together, not only by the same laws and the same government, but by all the facilities of commodious intercourse, and of frequent communication.1813, :Template:w#, A Tour Through Italy:
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Internet, Of a web page To contain a hyperlink to another page.
My homepage links to my wife's.
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Internet To supply (someone) with a hyperlink; to direct by means of a link.
Haven't you seen his website? I'll link you to it.
To demonstrate a correlation between (two things).
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Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences, Software compilation To combine objects generated by a compiler into a single executable.
Linked us, now she don't wanna link them man again / Your ex plays in the Prem but you never see him taking a pen2016 February 14, Joseph Adenuga, Darren Dixon, Tariq Devega, “Ladies Hit Squad” (track 6), in Konnichiwa, performed by Skepta ft. D Double E and ASAP Nast, Boy Better Know:
I might link my ting from Barkin'2017, Ramz, “Barking”:
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Same old questions, what's your body count? Who were you linkin' before me?2019, “Same Old Story” (track 6), in Ignorance Is Bliss, performed by Skepta:
Etymology Plausibly a modification of Medieval Latin linchinus (“candle”), an alteration of Latin lynchinus, itself from Ancient Greek λύχνος (lúkhnos, “lamp”).
Thou hast saved me a thousand marks in links and torchesc. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
You were coming out of the Italian Opera, ma’am, in white satin and jewels, a blaze of splendour, when I hadn’t a penny to buy a link to light you.’1854, Charles Dickens, chapter 7, in Hard Times. For These Times, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], →OCLC:
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Give me a loan of the link, Dick.1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC: