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# napkin

«napkin» in Mova's school dictionary: **a square piece of cloth or paper used at meals to wipe…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (napkin, napkins)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A napkin is a square piece of cloth or paper used at meals to wipe your mouth and fingers and keep your clothes clean. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/#m1)

2) In some countries «napkin» (or «nappy») once meant a baby's diaper. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/#m2)

3) A napkin can also be a square cloth used to wrap and carry things. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In manners lessons pupils learn table manners: put the napkin on your lap, wipe your mouth gently, do not use your sleeve. In maths napkins are folded to show halves, quarters and lines of symmetry. Phrases: paper napkin, cloth napkin, napkin on your lap, fold the napkin.

### examples

- Put your napkin on your lap. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/#x1)
- Wipe your mouth with a napkin. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/#x2)
- Can I have a paper napkin, please? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/#x3)
- We folded the napkins into triangles. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/#x4)
- Fold the napkin in half and then in half again to make quarters. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/#x5)
- She set the table with plates and napkins. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/#x6)
- Then John answered, "I am a merchant"; and opening his napkin he showed her its contents. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/#x7)

### note

Countable noun. In British English it is also called a «serviette». In Britain and Australia a baby's «nappy» comes from «napkin»; in the USA it is a «diaper». Maths: folding a square napkin in half twice makes four equal quarters.

### In the corpora

- [And Grace hid her broccoli in her napkin and said «All gone!» Nobody ever found out.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/427-i-did-brush-my-teeth-little-lies-at-home/16/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «napkin» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/N/napkin/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.