napkinn.
/ˈnapkᵻn/, U.S. /ˈnæpkɪn/ 1.
a. A usually square piece of cloth, paper, etc., used at a meal to wipe the fingers and lips and to protect the clothes (also occasionally, to place dishes on); a table napkin.Cf. serviette n. †to take (a) sheet and napkin: to lodge as a guest (with a person) (obsolete rare). †to stick a napkin under one's chin: to eat, to take a meal (obsolete rare).
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the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > napkin or serviette
napkin1384
muckender1420
napetc1422
savernapron1422
browera1475
serviette1490
serviter1522
muffling cheat1567
diapera1616
doily1711
paper napkin1847
lap-cloth1849
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun] > table-napkin
napkin1384
serviette1490
table napkin1564
1384–5 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1898) I. 265 (MED) ij napkins.
1420 Inventory in Lincoln Chapter Acc. Bk. A. 2. 30 f. 69 2 nappekynnes 20d.
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 351 Napet, or napekyn, napella.
c1475 in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (Harl. 642) (1790) 83 He indenteth with the Thesaurer of the householde in the counting-house for all the..napkins.
1508 Bk. Keruynge (de Worde) sig. A.iiiv Laye your knyues and set your brede,..your spones and your napkyns fayre folden besyde your brede.
1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions ii. x. 215 Thei [sc. Tartars] neither vse..table clothe ne napkin.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary iii. 116 The Hostesse..is tied to dresse his meate and give him napkins with like necessaries.
1655 W. Mewe in S. Hartlib Reformed Common-wealth Bees 42 If you please to take a sheet and napkin with me for some time, we shall discourse of this.
1697 in W. Macgill Old Ross-shire & Scotl. (1909) I. 129 Ane dossone damask and dornick table clothes and twelff dossone nepkines estimat to Ic. lib.
1726 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey V. xx. Observ. 41 They made use of no napkins to wipe their hands, but the soft and fine part of the bread.
1760 S. Foote Minor i. 24 There is not a buck or a turtle devoured within the bills of mortality, but there, I may, if I please, stick a napkin under my chin.
1790 A. Young Jrnl. 18 Jan. in Trav. France (1792) i. 277 The idea of dining without a napkin seems ridiculous to a Frenchman.
1841 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. 123 Each person who is to partake of the repast receives a napkin.
1881 W. Besant & J. Rice Chaplain of Fleet I. vi. 149 These she laid on a plate, with bread and salt, and put the whole upon a napkin.
1905 E. Tuite Dishes for all Seasons 93 Fry a golden brown in dripping; serve hot on a napkin garnished with parsley.
1978 A. S. C. Ross in R. Buckle U & Non-U Revisited 29 That old favourite non-U ‘serviette’/U ‘napkin’ is still in full force.
2000 B. Preston in J. Cummings World Food: Thailand 77 I quickly found myself..reaching for one of the rolls of toilet paper which..serve as napkins at dinner tables in Thailand.
b. A similar piece of cloth used for other purposes; a small towel.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > rubbing with towel > towel > small towel
napkin1591
towelette1902
guest-towel1921
1591 Ripley's Compound of Alchymy sig. M Such labour is wholesome your sweat for to drie With napkin, and after it see you take no colde.
1607 B. Jonson Volpone ii. ii. sig. E To fortifie the most indigest, and crude stomacke..applying only a warme napkin to the place, after the vnction. View more context for this quotation
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 31 They spread you out a large napkin..upon the said benches, where you sit down.
a1785 J. Hall-Stevenson Anacreon iii, in Wks. (1795) I. 23 I stirr'd up my fire, and close by its side I set him down by me: with napkins I dried.
1810 E. D. Clarke Trav. Var. Countries: Pt. 1st xxi. 516 They..present him with a bason, water, and a clean napkin, to wash his hands.
1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) III. 656 Like a napkin, always..at hand to clean the mirror.
1888 W. E. Henley Bk. Verses 8 They bid you close your eyelids, And they mask you with a napkin.
1997 D. Paterson God's Gift to Women 31 The napkin soaked in chloroform.
2.
a. A handkerchief. Also figurative. Now chiefly Scottish and English regional (northern).In early Scottish use frequently hard to distinguish from sense 2b.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > cleaning or cleanliness of the person > [noun] > cleaning the nose > handkerchief
coverchiefc1305
cloutc1380
muckender1420
napkin1436
handkerchief1530
handkercher1531
mocket1537
wiper1587
nose-cloth1589
pocket handkerchief1645
handcloth1676
mouchoira1685
pocket-clotha1704
wipe1708
volet1789
kerchief1814
snotter1823
lachrymatory1825
nose-rag1840
nose-wiper1840
sweat-rag1843
lachrymary1854
sneezer1857
stook1859
snottinger1864
snot-rag1888
hanky1895
penwiper1902
paper handkerchief1907
nose-wipe1919
snitch-rag1940
paper hankie1959
1436 in C. Innes Registrum Episcopatus Aberdonensis (1845) II. 139 Vnum napkyn pro domino episcopo.
1513 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1902) IV. 419 For sewin of serkis and napkinnis.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 247/2 Napkyn for the nose, movchover.
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 951/2 It maye well bee a napkin for my nose, but I will neuer be ashamed of it.
?1578 W. Patten Let. Entertainm. Killingwoorth 47 Oout of hiz boozum drawn foorth a lappet of his napkin, edged with a blu lace.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iii. iii. 294 I am glad I haue found this napkin, This was her first remembrance from the Moore. View more context for this quotation
1648 T. Gage Eng.-Amer. 1 What judicious eye, that will not be blinded with the napkin of ignorance [etc.].
1673 J. Ray N. Countrey Words in Coll. Eng. Words 34 Napkin, a Pocket Hand-Kerchief, so called about Sheffield in Yorkshire.
1724 A. Pennecuik Rome's Legacy to Kirk of Scotl. (ed. 2) 9 I pull my Napkin out and wipe my Cheeks, As if I wept at every Word he speaks.
1755 R. Forbes Shop-bill in tr. Ovid Ajax his Speech (new ed.) 40 Napkins, as guid's in a' the land, to dight your nib.
1822 J. Galt Sir Andrew Wylie I. xiii. 108 A ne'er-do-weel pocket-picker whuppet the napkin out of my pouch.
1884 D. Grant Lays & Legends of North 87 She startit, wi' her napkin Pressed to lovely nose an 'een.
1934 J. M. Caie Kindly North 17 He took his nipkin oot tae dicht his broo.
1953 M. Traynor Eng. Dial. Donegal 194/1 Napkin, a pocket-handkerchief.
1997 J. Rothschild tr. P. Maurensig Lüneburg Variation (1999) 28 My grandmother leaped to her feet, trying to stanch the flow of blood from my nose with a napkin.
b. Scottish. A kerchief, a neckerchief. Now rare.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > neck-wear > [noun] > neckerchief
neckerchiefc1384
kerchiefc1400
neckercher1466
neckinger1573
napkin1590
neckcloth1598
neck-handkerchief1642
squeeze clout1795
throat cloth1871
1590 in R. Pitcairn Criminal Trials Scotl. (1833) I. ii. 218 Anie part..of foule linnen cloth..as shirt, handkercher, napkin or any other thing.
1621 Acts Parl. Scotl. (1816) IV. 625 That no persoun..salhave pearling or ribbening vpoun thair ruffes sarkis neipkines and sokkis except [etc.].
1739 Caledonian Mercury 8 May Whoever shows the next best 4 Spinnel of the same Girst, shall have Two fine Linnen Neck-Napkins.
1787 J. Beattie Scoticisms 60 She had a red silk napkin on her head.
1845 P. Still Cottar's Sunday 22 His napkin white she ties wi' cantie care.
1892 R. Steuart Legends of North 181 Are ye oot withoot a nepkin on yer shouthers this cauld day?
c1930 P. Smith Fisher Folk (1952) 5 Then tartan neepyins held the sway Ower heid or shoother.
1954 E. Muir Autobiogr. i She always wore a napkin round her head.
3.
a. [Used to render Hellenistic Greek σουδάριον sudarium n.] In biblical contexts: = sudarium n. 1.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > cleaning or cleanliness of the person > [noun] > sweat-cloth
sudarya1350
napkin1526
sweating-cloth1585
sweat-cloth1872
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xix. f. cviij Beholde here thy pounde, which I have kepte in a napkyn.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) John xi. f. cxxxviijv His face was bounde with a napkyn.
1911 T. S. Moore Mariamne iv. p. xliv [Herod] removing the napkin, rises in his throne and turns to the Judges.
1999 R. Horrox Purgatory, Prayer & Plague in P. C. Jupp & C. Gittings Death in Eng. iv. 111 Abraham's Bosom is usually shown very literally in English art of this period as a napkin full of souls held against the breast of a patriarchal figure by two angels.
b. figurative. to hide (also lay up, wrap up, etc.) one's talent in a napkin: to fail to use a gift, talent, etc. Now rare.In allusion to the parable of the talents as told in Luke 19. A servant is given a pound by his master while he is away, and instead of using it to earn more money, he keeps it in a piece of cloth (Luke 19:20).
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1598 R. Cleaver Godly Form Househ. Gouernement Ep. Ded. 2 Or to hide my tallent in a napking.
1673 F. Kirkman Unlucky Citizen x. 174 I did not think it fit that since I had a Talent, to lay it up in a Napkin, but to put it to the best use I could.
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 112 This humour of laying up their Talent in a Napkin.
1741 G. Ogle Canterbury Tales III. 7 We will not doubt your Word, (our Host reply'd.) Yet some their Talents in a Napkin hide.
a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued (1777) III. i. 266 We had best..wrap up our Bibles as well as our talent of reason in a napkin.
1815 H. H. Brackenridge Tom Rascal in Mod. Chivalry IV. 151 Nor did he let his talent sleep, Or in a napkin hide; But put it out to usury, With fortune on his side.
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits x. 160 The headlong bias to utility will let no talent lie in a napkin.
1872 J. Morley Voltaire i. 7 He never counted truth a treasure to be discreetly hidden in a napkin.
1960 Amer. Hist. Rev. 65 267 Of all the parables, declares the lay writer, the academic world should most ponder that of the talent laid away in a napkin.
4. = nappy n.3
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > underwear > [noun] > baby's nappy
whittlec900
diapera1616
hipping1731
napkin1842
didy1902
nappy1920
nap1930
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > cleaning or cleanliness of the person > [noun] > baby's nappy
whittlec900
diapera1616
hipping1731
napkin1842
didy1902
nappy1920
pull-up1989
1842 C. Darwin Let. 13 Mar. in Corr. (1986) II. 315 She..never allows the monthly nurse to change the baby's napkins.
1861 I. M. Beeton Bk. Househ. Managem. xli. 1021 Soiled baby's napkins should be rolled up and put into a pan, when they should be washed out every morning.
1928 Daily Express 13 Mar. 12/2 The Eton crop in Bangkok is as old as the ‘panung’—that peculiar garment worn by men and women alike, which resembles a cross between a ‘sarong’ and a baby's napkin.
1961 A. S. MacNalty Brit. Med. Dict. 1212/1 The skin..is the more easily affected by the free ammonia liberated through the interaction of acid urine and badly washed napkins.
1999 K. Hickman Daughters of Britannia (2000) i. 20 There were no disposable nappies in those days, so the baby's washed napkins had to be hung out on rails in the corridor to dry.
5. Chiefly North American = sanitary napkin n. at sanitary adj. Compounds.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > cleaning or cleanliness of the person > [noun] > sanitary protection > sanitary towel
rag1606
jam-rag1869
napkin1873
pad1881
sanitary towel1881
towel1896
sanitary napkin1917
sanitary pad1926
bloodclaat1956
bumboclaat1967
1873 L. C. Warner Pop. Treat. Dis. Women x. 91 In cool weather the lower part of the body should be dressed in flannel drawers, and the napkins employed should be dried and warmed before being used.
1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 88/3 The Faultless Serviette or Absorbent Health Napkin.., no washing, burned after using.
1900 W. A. N. Dorland Amer. Illustr. Med. Dict. 624/2 Spotting, a slight menstrual show upon a woman's napkin.
1956 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Fall–Winter 756/2 Nylon Sanitary panty... Inner napkin tabs.
1986 V. Goldberg Margaret Bourke-White xix. 221 ‘She just sent me out to get her some napkins.’ ‘Napkins?’ ‘I think you call it Kotex.’
Compounds
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > headgear > [noun] > cap > types of > made from specific material > other
lettice cap1544
jack-cap1694
paper cap?1697
Dutch cap1726
napkin-cap1735
shell-cap1794
raccoon cap1840
1735 in Catal. Prints: Polit. & Personal Satires (Brit. Mus.) (1877) III. i. 87 They brought a Calf's head to the window dress'd in a napkin-cap.
1746 H. Walpole Lett. (1846) II. 154 He then took off his bag, coat, and waistcoat,..and after some trouble, put on a napkin-cap.
napkin cheese n. rare a cream cheese that has been strained in a bag made from a napkin or similar piece of cloth.
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the world > food and drink > food > dairy produce > cheese > [noun] > varieties of cheese
goat cheeseOE
green cheesec1390
rowen cheesea1425
bred-cheesec1440
hard cheesec1470
ruen cheese1510
parmesan1538
spermyse1542
angelot1573
cow-cheese1583
goat's cheese1588
Cheshire Cheese1597
eddish-cheese1615
nettle cheese1615
aftermath cheese1631
marsolini1636
Suffolk cheese1636
Cheddar cheesea1661
rowen1673
parmigianoa1684
raw-milk cheesea1687
fleet cheese1688
sage-cheese1714
Rhode Island cheese1733
Stilton cheese1736
Roquefort cheese1762
American cheese1763
fodder cheese1784
Old Peg1785
blue cheese1787
Dunlop cheese1793
Wiltshire1794
Gloucester1802
Gruyère1802
Neufchâtel1814
Limburger cheese1817
Dunlop1818
fog cheese1822
Swiss cheese1822
Suffolk thumpa1825
Stilton1826
skim dick1827
stracchino cheese1832
Blue Vinney1836
Edam1836
Schabzieger1837
sapsago1846
Munster1858
mysost1861
napkin cheese1865
provolone1865
Roquefort1867
Suffolk bang1867
Leicester1874
Brie1876
Camembert1878
Gorgonzola1878
Leicester cheese1880
Port Salut1881
Wensleydale1881
Gouda1885
primost1889
Cantal1890
Suisse1891
bondon1894
Petit Suisse1895
Gervais1896
Lancashire1896
Pont l'Évêque1896
reggiano1896
Romano1897
fontina1898
Caerphilly cheese1901
Derby cheese1902
Emmental1902
Liptauer1902
farmer cheese1904
robiola1907
gjetost1908
reblochon1908
scamorza1908
Cabrales1910
Jack1910
pimento cheese1910
mozzarella1911
pimiento cheese1911
Monterey cheese1912
processed cheese1918
Tillamook1918
tvorog1918
anari1919
process cheese1923
Bel Paese1926
pecorino1931
Oka1936
Parmigiano–Reggiano1936
vacherin1936
Monterey Jack1940
Red Leicester1940
demi-sel1946
tomme1946
Danish blue1948
Tilsit1950
St.-Maure1951
Samsoe1953
Havarti1954
paneer1954
taleggio1954
feta1956
St. Paulin1956
bleu cheese1957
Manchego1957
Ilchester1963
Dolcelatte1964
chèvre1965
Chaource1966
Windsor Red1969
halloumi1970
Montrachet1973
Chaumes1976
Lymeswold1981
cambozola1984
yarg1984
1865 Pall Mall Gaz. 22 May 4 Pastry, preserves, and napkincheeses of their own making.
1965 E. David in Nova Oct. 64/3 Real cream cheese..isn't real cheese, since it is not a curd but..ripened cream... Cheeses of this kind used to be known as napkin cheeses.
napkin-hidden adj. (of a talent) concealed or wasted; cf. napkined adj.Apparently an isolated use.
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1993 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 2 Dec. 34/4 Progress is solely owing to the distribution of the napkin-hidden talent of the rejected servant among those not rejected.
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?a1600 ( R. Sempill Legend Bischop St. Androis in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xlv. 380 Ten pundis stirling furth he tuike, And knit it in a neapkyn nucke.
napkin press n. now historical a device for pressing and storing table napkins.
ΚΠ
1663 in F. W. Steer Farm & Cottage Inventories Mid-Essex 1635–1749 (1969) 98 In the Old Chamber—One Cupboard with Drawers, two Chests, one Trunke, fower boxes, a Napkin Presse with two swords & other Lumber, 2 li. 10 s.
1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 90 The Butler..disposes..his Napkin-press,..Spoons, Knives, Forks, Voider, or Basket, and all other Necessaries.
1866 Atlantic Monthly Sept. 281/2 A number of delicately woven napkins, which look as if they might have come out of the elaborately carved napkin press.
1997 National Trust Mag. Spring 13/3 Only a handful of members correctly identified the object shown above as a napkin press.
napkin rash n. Medicine = nappy rash n. at nappy n.3 Compounds 2.
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1936 W. Sheldon Dis. Infancy & Childhood xxiv. 627 Napkin Rash (Jacquet's Erythema). Napkin rashes are due in part to lack of ordinary care and attention in keeping the napkins changed.
1945 M. Martin Make Yours Fine Baby xxv. 160 Napkin rash appears on the buttocks and that area covered by the napkin.
1981 H. Jolly Dis. Children (ed. 4) xxvi. 590 A seborrheic napkin rash is extensive and of a red-brown colour.
napkin ring n. a ring of silver, wood, plastic, etc., used to hold (and sometimes distinguish) a person's table napkin when not in use.
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the world > food and drink > food > setting table > table utensils > [noun] > other tableware or items for table
pewter1426
warnera1552
nef1567
pewtery1645
hollow-ware1682
equipage1683
flatware1686
napkin ring1686
pewterware1738
egg cup1773
dish-rim1774
butter cooler1784
dish-cross1785
argyll1789
toast-rack1801
centrepiece1836
table centrepiece1850
silverware1862
doily1864
table centre1865
potato ring1888
egg-cosy1894
sandwich flag1907
cheese board1916
Lazy Susan1917
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > household linen > table linen > [noun] > table-napkin > ring
napkin ring1839
1686 in Narragansett Hist. Reg. (1884) Oct. 105 18 Napkins & 9 Napkin Rings.
1839 Workwoman's Guide: Instr. Apparel xi. 275 (heading) Checked Napkin Rings.
1916 J. Joyce Portrait of Artist i. 40 Dante shoved her chair violently aside and left the table, upsetting her napkinring which rolled slowly along the carpet.
1994 U. Hegi Stones from River ii. 33 Aunt Helene had sent silver napkin rings with matching spoons.
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the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > picking pockets > [noun] > stealing pocket handkerchiefs
napkin-snatching1823
1823 P. Egan Grose's Dict. Vulgar Tongue Napkin-snatching or Fogle-hunting. Sneaking pocket-handkerchiefs.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
napkinv.
/ˈnapkᵻn/, U.S. /ˈnæpkɪn/ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > keeping from knowledge > keeping from publication > keep concealed [verb (transitive)]
napkin1627
bushel1650
1627 R. Sanderson Ten Serm. 410 Let euery man beware of napkining vp the talent, which was deliuered him to trade withall.
1657 J. Owen Of Commun. with God ii. x, in Wks. (1851) II. 215 When others napkin their talents, as having to do with an austere master.
a1680 S. Charnock Several Disc. Attrib. God (1834) II. 695 To napkin up a gift he hath bestowed..is to apply it to a wrong use.
1785 J. O'Keeffe Peeping Tom of Coventry i. iv. 15 The room was full when I came in, But soon I napkin'd up my chin, With knife and fork I now begin.
2. transitive. To wipe or dab with a napkin. rare.
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1854 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross xxii. 160 ‘Of c-o-o-o-r-s-e, I have,’ drawled the captain, pompously napkining his moustache with the greatest coolness.
1984 K. S. Robinson Icehenge ii. 132 ‘Pleased to meet you,’ I said, and napkinned my mouth.
3. transitive. To put a nappy on (a baby). rare.
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1939 S. O'Casey I knock at Door in Autobiogr. (1980) I. 5 [The baby] was washed, napkined, and fed.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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