KATTĀN (pronounced katān in Persian), term for both flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and linen. The word in Persian comes from Arabic kattān, which in its turn is from Aramaic kettānā/kittānā, derived from Sumerian gad and Akkadian kitū/kitinū ‘linen’ (Ḥasandust, pp. 2134-35). Flax is an annual, self-fertilizing plant grown for its fiber (fiber flax), or for its seed (oil flax, seed flax, linseed), or for both (dual-purpose flax), with the main uses being for linen and linseed oil.

i. Linen

ii. Linseed oil