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Glite Dictionary
🍽️ A table wipe 👶 A diaper
napkin

napkin

168 1.0
A small piece of cloth or paper used at meals to wipe the mouth and hands
  • noun
  • /ˈnæpkɪn/
translation icon : servilleta
  • Can we get some napkins?
  • paper napkins
  • napkins and towels

Or start using cloth napkins instead of all your paper towels.

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Examples

  • Always keep a napkin handy when you eat, so you can clean up any spills.

  • Can you pass me a napkin?

    The Killer (2024)

  • Give me a napkin or something

    North of the 10 (2022)

  • Can I get a napkin?

    The Benchwarmers (2006)

  • Jack cleared his throat, picked up his napkin, and put it down again.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • I moved the napkin and I wiped my pants.

  • Look, you see where it stained me. "Let me give you a napkin," the waitress said.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • I wrap the apple core in my napkin and toss it in the wastebasket.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Slowly, his face grim, Daddy returns his napkin to his lap and resumes eating.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The first time we went out to dinner, he tucked his napkin into the bib of said overalls.

Synonyms

serviette
vsnapkin
  • UK
1 5.0

A small cloth or paper used at meals to wipe your mouth and protect your clothes

is the same item but commonly a different regional name
dinner napkin
vsnapkin
1 1.0

A large piece of cloth or paper people use at dinner to protect clothes and wipe the mouth and hands

is the common size for everyday meals rather than larger dinner pieces
table napkin
vsnapkin
1.0

A small piece of cloth or paper used at meals to wipe your mouth and hands

is the general name for such pieces used at meals
tea napkin
vsnapkin
2.0

A small cloth used to protect clothes and hold food during tea

is the general meal accessory used across all meals not only tea

Compounds

napkin ring
3 3.6

A small ring that holds a person's napkin at the table

sanitary napkin
  • US
3 1.6

A pad worn by women during their period to absorb blood

dinner napkin
1 1.0

A large piece of cloth or paper people use at dinner to protect clothes and wipe the mouth and hands

table napkin
1.0

A small piece of cloth or paper used at meals to wipe your mouth and hands

tea napkin
2.0

A small cloth used to protect clothes and hold food during tea

How Big

napkin
168 1.0

Surface Forms

napkin singular
napkins plural

Morphology

napkin = nappe (opaque) = nappe + kin

Although the modern sense refers to a cloth, the specific table-use meaning is not fully recoverable from the archaic base for most learners.

Etymology

The word napkin comes from the old French word nappe meaning 'tablecloth' and the small ending -kin meaning 'little'. So a napkin is literally a 'little tablecloth', which is why we use it at meals to wipe our mouth and hands or to protect our clothes.