🌍 American vs British · vocabulary
napkin vs serviette
A piece of cloth or paper used at meals to wipe the mouth and hands.
American
napkin
“She folded a paper napkin beside each plate before the guests arrived.”
British
serviette
“She folded a paper serviette beside each plate before the guests arrived.”
Good to know
"Napkin" is standard in American English and also common in Britain, while "serviette" is heard in the UK and is sometimes considered slightly less formal or more genteel. In British usage "napkin" can also mean a baby's nappy in older speech.
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