napkin
Americannoun
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a small piece of cloth or paper, usually square, for use in wiping the lips and fingers and to protect the clothes while eating.
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Chiefly British. a diaper.
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Scot. and North England. a handkerchief.
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Scot. a kerchief or neckerchief.
noun
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Also called: table napkin. a usually square piece of cloth or paper used while eating to protect the clothes, wipe the mouth, etc; serviette
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rare a similar piece of cloth used for example as a handkerchief or headscarf
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a more formal name for nappy 1
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a less common term for sanitary towel
Etymology
Origin of napkin
1350–1400; Middle English, equivalent to nape tablecloth (< Middle French nappe < Latin mappa napkin) + -kin; cf. map
Explanation
A napkin is a piece of cloth used for wiping your mouth while you're eating or drinking. Your grandmother might insist that everyone put their napkins in their laps before dinner is served. You can use the word napkin for a fancy linen cloth or a cheap paper one, although in many English-speaking countries it's instead called a "serviette." Napkins have been around since ancient Rome, while some stories have the ancient Greeks using pieces of bread as napkins. The invention of paper napkins dates back to China in the second century BCE. Napkin comes from the now-obsolete nape, "tablecloth."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Napkin math says the new investors poured more than $660 million into the Eagles for that stake.
From Slate • Dec. 12, 2024
Napkin rings would have been issued, and you would have been expected to place your napkin in yours neatly.
From Washington Post • Feb. 6, 2023
Robert Guarino, chief executive of 5 Napkin Burger, which has four locations in Manhattan, said doing business with the food delivery apps had been challenging.
From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2020
After a yearlong delay, Frelard gets Schmaltzy’s Delicatessen, from the owner behind the food truck Napkin Friends.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 11, 2020
He licked the cake crumbs from his fingers, wiped his hand on a Westing Paper Tea Napkin, and took his opponent's queen from the board.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
