napkin

[ nap-kin ]

noun

1. a small piece of cloth or paper, usually square, for use in wiping the lips and fingers and to protect the clothes while eating.
2. sanitary napkin.
3. Chiefly British. a diaper.
4. Scot. and North England. a handkerchief.
5. Scot. a kerchief or neckerchief.

napkin

/ ˈnæpkɪn /

noun

1. Also calledtable napkin a usually square piece of cloth or paper used while eating to protect the clothes, wipe the mouth, etc; serviette
2. rare.
   a similar piece of cloth used for example as a handkerchief or headscarf
3. a more formal name for nappy 1
4. a less common term for sanitary towel

Word History and Origins

Origin of napkin¹

1350–1400; Middle English, equivalent to nape tablecloth (< Middle French nappe < Latin mappa napkin) + -kin; map

Word History and Origins

Origin of napkin¹

C15: from Old French, from nape tablecloth, from Latin mappa small cloth, towel; see map

Example Sentences

“I can be the napkin lady,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

They came for the face painting and food, and their concerns are more mundane: teaching kids to read, paying the bills, finding a napkin to clean Popsicle juice off chubby toddler legs.

From Los Angeles Times

Carlos first sketched it on a napkin; five weeks later, a precisely orchestrated team built the elaborate tent, including a team of seven who draped the frame with 7,000 yards of fabric.

From Los Angeles Times

As Scariot cleaned up the mess with a napkin, Pickles ran for freedom through an open car door.

From Los Angeles Times

The following year, the commission found “deputies taking it upon themselves to decide if a woman will get an additional napkin if she needs it.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cloth
• towel