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tablecloth

[tey-buh l-klawth, -kloth]
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noun, plural ta·ble·cloths [tey-buh l-klawth z, -kloth z, -klawths, -kloths] /ˈteɪ bəlˌklɔðz, -ˌklɒðz, -ˌklɔθs, -ˌklɒθs/.
  1. a cloth for covering the top of a table, especially during a meal.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for tablecloth

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • "Please do not call me Princess," said the girl, looking down at the tablecloth.

  • The girl slowly shook her head, her eyes on the tablecloth before her.

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

n.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper