Mandil

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈmændɪl/

Definitions

1. A garment worn over the front of clothing to protect it from dirt or damage, commonly tied around the waist
2. A cloth or covering used to shield clothing during tasks like cooking or cleaning
3. An outer protective piece of fabric worn to cover clothing and keep it clean during work

Etymology: The word "mandil" arrived in English from Spanish, where it had settled after a long journey east and west. Its ancestor was the Latin "mantēle," a hand towel or napkin, probably built from "manus" (hand) and "tergere" (to wipe). Greek speakers took it up as "mandílion," and it passed into Arabic as "mandīl," meaning a sash, a turban cloth, or a handkerchief, before the Arabic term spread through the Islamic world. The story branches again in the seventeenth century. German travellers describing Persia used "Mendil" for the turban cloth they saw there, and French writers borrowed that sense as "mendil," a turban or turban cloth. The garment we know as a mandil is a different branch, carried into Spanish and then English for a protective apron-like covering. The same Latin root also gave English "manteau" and "mantle," which reached French and English by separate paths.

Synonyms: apron