Where does “occasional table” come from?

occasional table (English) comes from English table, from Middle English table, from Old French table, from Latin tabula, from Proto-Italic *taðlā — board.

occasional table (English): Any small table, such as an end table, which has no particular function and may typically be folded away

Definitions

  1. Any small table, such as an end table, which has no particular function and may typically be folded away

Ancestry of “occasional table”, step by step

occasional table traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English table

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtableFurniture with a top surface to accommodate a...
2Middle EnglishtableA table; A level writing surface; Any level...
3Old Frenchtabletable
4Latintabulatablet, sometimes a tablet covered with wax for...
5Proto-Italic*taðlāboard

via English occasional

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishoccasionalOccurring or appearing irregularly from time to...
2Middle Englishoccasyonal
Every word from Proto-Italic *taðlāEvery word from Latin tabulaEvery word from Old French table
occasional table — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer