tablecloth

[tey-buh l-klawth, -kloth]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tablecloth ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ta·ble·cloths [tey-buh l-klawth z, -kloth z, -klawths, -kloths] /ˈteɪ bəlˌklɔðz, -ˌklɒðz, -ˌklɔθs, -ˌklɒθs/.

a cloth for covering the top of a table, especially during a meal.

RELATED WORDS

felt, napery

Origin of tablecloth

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at table, cloth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tablecloth

Contemporary Examples of tablecloth

Just then there was a rustling under the table and Jackson lifted the tablecloth.
My Surreal Night With Michael Jackson
Abby Ellin
July 6, 2009
Just then there was a rustling under the table and Jackson lifted the tablecloth and peered underneath.
My Surreal Night With Michael Jackson
Abby Ellin
July 6, 2009

Historical Examples of tablecloth

"Please do not call me Princess," said the girl, looking down at the tablecloth.
Jennie Baxter, Journalist
Robert Barr
The girl slowly shook her head, her eyes on the tablecloth before her.
Jennie Baxter, Journalist
Robert Barr
Next morning the boy was hungry again, but there was no tablecloth and so no breakfast.
Classic Myths
Mary Catherine Judd
You are a cheat, North Wind; you have taken back your tablecloth.
Classic Myths
Mary Catherine Judd
The colonel had the tablecloth, rolled in a bundle, beneath his arm.
The Downfall
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for tablecloth

tablecloth

noun

a cloth for covering the top of a table, esp during meals

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

Word Origin and History for tablecloth

mid-15c., from table (n.) + cloth.