Lint was the name given to linen cloth or rags when shredded or scraped down so as to form a soft material, suitable for dressing wounds and soaking up discharges. This is now superseded by a cotton cloth specially woven for the purpose, with one side soft and fluffy. See also FLAX.
Lint
Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 6: Humber to Malta, p. 646
Source scan(s): p. 0661