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Glite Dictionary
table linen

table linen

2 2.2
Cloth items like napkins and tablecloths used to cover a dining table
  • noun
  • /ˈteɪbəl ˈlɪnən/
translation icon : ropa de mesa
  • Make sure to fold the table linen neatly before storing it in the cupboard.
  • starched table linen
  • fine table linens

Examples

  • Servant etiquette and proper table linens for formal dinner parties, how to be the belle of the ball, and what to look for when buying a Chinese gardener.

    C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America (2005)

  • Lee is emptying the bar of cash while waiters change the table linen.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • She felt around under the table linens until she found a photograph and drew it out.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • - Wash (if necessary) and iron your table linens and napkins.

    Blog text (25)

  • The servants rinsed the Hoffmans' table linens in a cold bath infused with rose water, such that even the kitchen would be perfumed.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The entire room is filled floor to ceiling with cases of whiskey, wine, crates of lobster, shrimp, and stacks of table linen and sides of beef.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • From the moment we moved in, I had filled the entire house up; I had decided which rooms would be used for what. I had stuffed our closets to the brim with things like table linens, beauty products, and my never-ending craft supplies.

    Blog text (5)

  • We need to buy some new table linen for the holiday dinner.

  • The restaurant uses white table linen to create an elegant atmosphere for its diners.

Synonyms

napery
vstable linen
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Cloth items like tablecloths and napkins used when eating

is the more common modern phrase rather than the traditional term

How Formal

table linen
2 2.2
tablecloth
47 1.0
napkin
168 1.0

Surface Forms

table linen singular
table linens plural

Morphology

table + linen

The meaning is directly compositional: 'table' (furniture for dining) + 'linen' (cloth) yields cloth items used on a table. This is a common, cross-linguistically transparent naming pattern (cloth for X), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The noun table linen shows a simple picture: clean linen cloths are spread over a table before a meal, like tablecloths and napkins. So, it now means the cloth items used 'to cover a dining table and serve food'.