Where does “napkin” come from?

napkin (Middle English) comes from Middle English napkyn, from Middle English nape, from Old French nape, from Medieval Latin nappa, from Latin mappa — napkin; starting signal; map.

napkin (Middle English): Alternative form of napkyn

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of napkyn

Ancestry of “napkin”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishnapkynA napkin or serviette
2Middle EnglishnapeThe nape; the neck's rear; The nape of a fish;...
3Old Frenchnapetable cloth
4Medieval Latinnappanapkin
5Latinmappanapkin; starting signal; map
Every word from Latin mappa →Every word from Medieval Latin nappa →Every word from Old French nape →