Linje

Linje is a term used in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish to denote several related concepts. It refers to a geometric line, a route or service line, and the line in manufacturing, as well as lines used in writing or printing.

In geometry, a line is a straight one-dimensional figure that extends without end in both directions. It is determined by two distinct points or by an equation. In Cartesian coordinates a line can be described by y = mx + b or by ax + by + c = 0. Parallel lines never meet; perpendicular lines intersect at a right angle. A line segment is a finite portion of a line, and a ray starts at a point and extends indefinitely in one direction.

In everyday usage, linje can designate transportation lines such as a bus line or a railway line; industrial contexts use produksjonslinje or produksjonslinje for a manufacturing line; electrical or telecommunications lines describe cables or wires.

On paper and in typography, a line can mean a line of text or a line on ruled paper; in printing and drawing, the line is a basic element of form and composition. The word also appears in contexts such as line of input in computing, and in design to describe a visual path or contour.

Etymology and cognates: linje derives from Latin linea via Old French ligne, and is cognate with the English word line. Related forms exist across Scandinavian languages, where linje broadly covers the same set of meanings.

In summary, linje encompasses mathematical, utilitarian, and everyday senses of a straight or directed mark, path, or sequence.