Serviettes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small piece of cloth or paper used for wiping the mouth and hands while eating, often placed at each setting on a dining table
2. A functional item in dining contexts, serving to keep clean and absorb spills during meals, typically folded and decorated
3. An essential complement to meal presentation, it aids in hygiene and etiquette, often varying in material and design based on occasion

Etymology: The plural "serviettes" is simply the form of "serviette," the table napkin. The French word "serviette" was a feminine noun meaning a towel or cloth for wiping, drawn from the verb "servir," to serve, and it passed into Middle English as "serviotis" in the plural. The napkin sense is what English ended up with, so a word that began in French as a cloth for hands and face came to name the paper or linen square laid beside your plate. Note that the English plural has changed shape over the centuries. Middle English spelled the plural with an "-is" ending, and the modern "-es" plural reflects later English spelling habits. In British English "serviette" remains the everyday word for a table napkin, while in American English the same object is usually "napkin."

Synonyms: napkins, tissues