serviette

[sur-vee-et] Origin

ser·vi·ette

[sur-vee-et]
noun Chiefly British.
a table napkin.

Origin:
1480–90; < Middle French, equivalent to servi(r) to serve + -ette -ette; for the formation, compare oubliette
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Serviette is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
Collins
World English Dictionary
serviette (ˌsɜːvɪˈɛt)
 
n
chiefly (Brit) a small square of cloth or paper used while eating to protect the clothes, wipe the mouth and hands, etc
 
[C15: from Old French, from servir to serve; formed on the model of oubliette]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

serviette
"table napkin," 1489, from Fr. serviette "napkin, towel," perhaps from pp. of servir "to serve" (see serve). Exclusively Scottish at first, re-introduced from Fr. 1818.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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