Serviette

Serviette

Noun · /ˌsɜːviˈet/ · a table napkin

Definition

A serviette is a square of cloth or paper used at a meal to protect clothing and to wipe the mouth and hands. It is laid on the lap or tucked into a collar, and in a formal table setting it may be folded decoratively. In British English, serviette is the word used in many households and informal contexts, while napkin is considered more formally correct and is preferred in upper-class and professional dining settings. The distinction between the two words is itself a minor but famous marker of social register in British culture.

Origin

Serviette entered English from French, where serviette means both a towel and a table napkin, derived from servir — to serve — and the suffix -ette, indicating a small object. French took it from Latin servire. The word came into English use in the fifteenth century and was for centuries a perfectly respectable and standard term. By the twentieth century, a curious social distinction had emerged: napkin was increasingly favoured in formal and upper-class usage, while serviette was associated with the lower-middle class — a sociolinguistic quirk documented by linguists and satirised by writers. Despite this, serviette remains widely used and understood throughout Britain.