ln

IPA/ˌɛlˈɛn/
KK[lˈen]IPA/lˈeɪn/

ln — abbreviation

1. the short written form of the word lane, used after a street name in postal addr

1.abbreviationA2
Definition

the short written form of the word lane, used after a street name in postal addresses

Example

The package was sent to 42 Maple Ln, near the park.

pattern: house number + <Name> Ln

Iris wrote her new address as 18 Oak Ln on the form.

address use: <Name> Ln on a form

Common collocations
  • Maple Ln
  • Oak Ln
  • <number> <Name> Ln
  • Rose Ln
Synonyms
  • lane

    the full word, used in speech and ordinary writing

Grammar Patterns

<Name> Ln

<Name> Ln, <City>

house number + <Name> Ln

Usage Note

Used almost only in written addresses, signs, and maps. In normal speech, people read it aloud as the full word lane.

Common Mistakes

They walked down the small Ln behind the house.
They walked down the small lane behind the house.
Ln only appears in written addresses, not in normal sentences.

2. the written symbol for the natural logarithm, the logarithm whose base is the nu

2.abbreviationC1
Definition

the written symbol for the natural logarithm, the logarithm whose base is the number e (about 2.718)

Example

Hyun showed the class how to calculate ln(2) on the board.

pattern: ln(x) — function notation

To solve for time, take the ln of both sides of the equation.

common math instruction: take the ln of

Common collocations
  • ln(x)
  • ln of both sides
  • ln(e) = 1
  • take the ln
Synonyms
  • natural log

    the spoken short form used in classrooms

  • log base e

    a longer phrase that names the base explicitly

Grammar Patterns

ln(x)

ln <number>

take the ln of

Usage Note

Spoken aloud as 'L-N' or 'natural log'. Distinct from log, which usually means base-10 logarithm in school maths.

Common Mistakes

Take the log of both sides' (when you need base e).
Take the ln of both sides.
ln is base e; log usually means base 10 in school exercises.

Synonym discussion

Sense: abbreviation/1

Ln, St, Rd, and Ave are all short written forms used after a street name in addresses, but each one points to a different kind of road. Ln stands for lane and usually marks a small, narrow street, often in a quiet area. St stands for street and is the most common all-purpose label, used for ordinary roads in towns and cities. Rd stands for road and tends to mark a longer route, often one that goes between places rather than inside a small block. Ave stands for avenue and is used for wider streets, sometimes lined with trees or planned as a main route. Writing 42 Maple Ln, 42 Maple St, and 42 Maple Ave on three envelopes would send each letter to a different place, even when the rest of the address looks the same.

Ln ↗St ↗RdAve ↗

Etymology

EnglishLatin

Ln is a modern written shortening rather than one word with one history. As an address word it shortens lane, an old English word for a narrow road. As a maths symbol it stands for the Latin phrase logarithmus naturalis, meaning natural logarithm, and was adopted in textbooks so that one short label could mark a logarithm whose base is the constant e.