Etymology

napkin

nap·kin
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Today it means: A serviette; a (usually rectangular) piece of cloth or paper used at the table for wiping the mouth and hands for cleanliness while eating. Full definition →

Middle English napekyn
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromnapekyn
  2. English todaynapkin

From Middle English napekyn, napkyn, equivalent to nape (“cloth”) + -kin (diminutive suffix).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.