Language Integrated Query

Language Integrated Query (LINQ, pronounced "link") is a Microsoft .NET framework component that adds native data querying abilities to .NET languages, originally released as a major part of .NET Framework 3.5 in 2007. LINQ extends the language by the addition of query expressions, which are akin to SQL statements, and can be used to conveniently extract and process data from arrays, enumerable classes, XML documents, relational databases, and third-party data sources.

Source: Wikipedia — Language Integrated Query (CC BY-SA 4.0)