This noun denotes fine linen, a luxurious fabric made from flax and prized in antiquity for its quality and cost. In Luke 16:19, the rich man habitually dressed in purple and fine linen—markers of wealth and status. The term originally referred to Egyptian flax but later expanded to include cotton and even silk in some sources. The translations (Spanish lino fino, French fin lin, German retaining the Greek) all emphasize the refined, expensive quality of this textile, perfectly illustrating the rich man's opulent lifestyle in contrast to Lazarus's destitution at his gate.