tablecloth

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noun

A cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table.

OriginMiddle English tabyllcloth ← Old English bordclāþ →
Less commonScrabble 17
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Meanings

nountablecloth (plural tablecloths)

plural tablecloths · alternative table cloth · alternative table-cloth

  1. A cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table.

    Just across the field stood a small house. In the yard the week's washing was hung out. Among the articles was a red tablecloth.

    1893, Horatio Alger, Jr., Facing the World

Origin

  1. Old Englishbordclāþ
  2. Middle Englishbord cloth
  3. Middle Englishtabyllcloth
  4. Englishtablecloth

From Middle English tabyllcloth, table cloth, tabylle clothe, a partial translation of earlier Middle English bord cloth, bordcloth (“tablecloth”), from Old English bordclāþ, equivalent to table + cloth.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic غِطَاء مَائِدَة, غِطَاء الْمَائِدَة
  • غِطَاء مَائِدَة (ḡiṭāʔ māʔida)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • غِطَاء الْمَائِدَة (ḡiṭāʔ al-māʔida)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Bengali দস্তরখান
  • দস্তরখান (dostorkhan)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Bulgarian покри́вка
  • покри́вка (pokrívka)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Catalan tovalles, estovalles
  • tovallesa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • estovallesa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • cobretaulaa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Chinese Cantonese 檯布 /台布
  • 檯布 /台布a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Chinese Mandarin 桌布, 檯布 /台布
  • 桌布 (zhuōbù)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • 檯布 /台布 (táibù)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Czech ubrus
  • ubrusa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Danish dug
  • duga cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Dutch tafelkleed, tafelzeil
  • tafelkleeda cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • tafelzeila cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Esperanto tablotuko
  • tablotukoa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Estonian laudlina
  • laudlinaa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Finnish pöytäliina
  • pöytäliinaa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
French nappe
  • nappea cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
German Tischdecke, Tischtuch
  • Tischdeckea cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • Tischtucha cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Greek τραπεζομάντηλο
  • τραπεζομάντηλο (trapezomántilo)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Hebrew מַפָּה
  • מַפָּה (mappá)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Hindi मेज़पोश, टेबुल-क्लाथ
  • मेज़पोश (mezpoś)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • टेबुल-क्लाथ (ṭebul-klāth)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Hungarian abrosz, asztalterítő
  • abrosza cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • asztalterítőa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Icelandic borðdúkur
  • borðdúkura cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Indonesian alas meja, seperah
  • alas mejaa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • seperaha cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Irish scaraoid (bhoird), brat boird
  • scaraoid (bhoird)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • brat boirda cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • éadach cláira cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • éadach boirda cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • éadach táblaa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Italian tovaglia
  • tovagliaa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Japanese テーブル掛け, テーブルクロス
  • テーブル掛け (tēburukake)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • テーブルクロス (tēburukurosu)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Korean 식탁보
  • 식탁보 (siktakbo)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Latin mēnsārium
  • mēnsāriuma cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Latvian galdauts
  • galdautsa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Lithuanian staltiesė
  • staltiesėa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Malay alas meja
  • alas mejaa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Māori uhi, uwhi
  • uhia cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • uwhia cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • uhi tēpua cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • uwhi tēpua cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Norwegian duk
  • duka cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Norwegian Bokmål bordduk
  • bordduka cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Polish obrus
  • obrusa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Portuguese toalha de mesa
  • toalha de mesaa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Romanian față de masă
  • față de masăa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Russian ска́терть
  • ска́терть (skátertʹ)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Scottish Gaelic anart-bùird
  • anart-bùirda cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Slovak obrus
  • obrusa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Spanish mantel
  • mantela cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Swedish bordsduk
  • bordsduka cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Tamil மேசைவிரிப்பு
  • மேசைவிரிப்பு (mēcaivirippu)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Thai ผ้าปูโต๊ะ
  • ผ้าปูโต๊ะ (pâa-bpuu-dtó)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Turkish masa örtüsü, sofra
  • masa örtüsüa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • sofraa cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Ukrainian скатерти́на, ска́терть
  • скатерти́на (skatertýna)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • ска́терть (skátertʹ)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • ска́терка (skáterka)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • стільни́к (stilʹnýk)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • о́брус (óbrus)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • обру́с (obrús)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Urdu میزْپوش, ٹیبِل کِلاتھ
  • میزْپوش (mezpoś)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • ٹیبِل کِلاتھ (ṭebil kilāth)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • دَسْتَرخوان (dastarxvān)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Vietnamese khăn trải bàn
  • khăn trải bàna cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Welsh lliain bwrdd, lliain bord
  • lliain bwrdda cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
  • lliain borda cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Yiddish טישטעך
  • טישטעך (tishtekh)a cloth used to cover and protect a table, especially for a dining table
Cite this entry
APA

tablecloth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tablecloth

MLA

“tablecloth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tablecloth. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tablecloth,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tablecloth.

Source: tablecloth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.