Napkin, Serviette

Napkin
 
Have you ever unfolded a map on a table to check out the route you are planning for travel?
 
The word napkin has its origins in Latin mappa (map; a cloth on which maps were drawn) + Middle English kin (little); i.e., a napkin is a little map. Latin mappa is the source of Old French nape (tablecloth, cloth cover, towel). The Old French word naperon (napkin) is the source of the English word apron.
 
By the late 14th century, the word napkin came to English from Old French meaning a small square of cloth used to wipe the lips and hands and to protect one’s clothing while eating at the table. A nape + kin was literally a little tablecloth; i.e., don’t wipe your greasy fingers on the big tablecloth!
 
Napkin-ring is from the 1680s. The British word nappy, meaning a baby’s cloth diaper, is from 1927.
 
Serviette
 
The word serviette, meaning a table napkin, came to English in the late 15th century from Old French serviette (napkin, towel), a word of obscure origin, perhaps from servir (to serve). The English word serviette was originally used in Scotland and only became commonly used in England in the early 19th century.
 
Napkin or Serviette?
 
In the UK, napkin was originally an upper-class term and serviette lower-class. Today, however, napkin is the most commonly used word. In the US, the word serviette is rarely used; napkin is the commonly used word. Canadians use both words--we get to chose whichever one we would like to use. When I was growing up in Saskatchewan, cloth napkins were put on the table when company was coming. Paper serviettes were for everyday use.
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-napkin-and-serviette/
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