Handkerchief

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈhæŋkət͡ʃɪf/

Definitions

1. A small square piece of cloth carried for wiping one's nose, face, or hands
2. A small, often folded piece of fabric used to clean the face or blow the nose
3. A portable square of cloth meant for wiping sweat, tears, or nasal discharge

Etymology: Handkerchief is a compound of "hand" and "kerchief," and the second part is the more revealing one. "Kerchief" comes from the Middle English "keverchef," literally "cover for the head," from "covre" (to cover) and "chef" (head), borrowed through Old French. So the word's older sense was a head covering, a sense that survives in the word "kerchief" itself. Put the two together and "handkerchief" meant a cloth held in the hand, something carried rather than worn on the head. The compound describes the object by how it is used rather than what it covers. Its earliest recorded form is a linen cloth, and the compound has kept that simple, practical logic ever since.

Synonyms: kerchief, cloth, napkin