napkin

[ nap-kin ]
See synonyms for: napkinnapkins on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. Chiefly British. a diaper.

  2. Scot. and North England. a handkerchief.

  3. Scot. a kerchief or neckerchief.

Origin of napkin

1
1350–1400; Middle English, equivalent to nape tablecloth (<Middle French nappe<Latin mappa napkin) + -kin; cf. map

Words Nearby napkin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use napkin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for napkin

napkin

/ (ˈnæpkɪn) /


noun
  1. Also called: table 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

  1. a more formal name for nappy 1

  2. a less common term for sanitary towel

Origin of napkin

1
C15: from Old French, from nape tablecloth, from Latin mappa small cloth, towel; see map

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012