Etymology Explorer › Russian

Where does “салфе́тка” come from?

салфе́тка (Russian) comes from German Salvette, from Italian salvietta, from French serviette, from French servir, from German servieren, from Italian servire, from Spanish servir, from Latin serviō — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

Ancestry of “салфе́тка”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanSalvette—
2Italiansalviettaserviette, napkin
3Frenchserviettetowel; napkin; briefcase
4Frenchservirto serve; to be used for; to be useful for...
5GermanservierenTo serve ; to wait
6Italianservireto serve; to need; to plate
7Spanishservirto serve; to be of use, to be good for; to help...
8Latinserviō—
9Latinservusa servant; a serf; a slave
10Proto-Italicserwosguardian
11Proto-Indo-Europeanser-wo-sguardian
12Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

Words derived from “салфе́тка”

  • салфетка
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →