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Use them to aid in pouring wine so that not a drop ends up in the wrong place, or set them beneath decanters like proper serviettes.—Hannah Selinger, wsj.com, 29 Sep. 2023 For this look, take a red washable serviette and fashion it into a long, thin roll.—Alyssa Gautieri, Good Housekeeping, 22 Nov. 2022 Make loose brunch plans with the hottest bystander and escape into the night with a slice of cake wrapped in a serviette for the subway.—Raven Smith, Vogue, 12 Nov. 2020 Take a serviette and wipe the rim, making sure there’s no foil.—Sarah Solomon, Town & Country, 28 July 2017 Still, the Smithsonian is right to to honor this most famous of American serviettes, the Magna Carta of modern Republican economics.—Jeet Heer, New Republic, 18 Oct. 2017 Take a serviette and wipe the rim, making sure there’s no foil.—Sarah Solomon, Town & Country, 28 July 2017
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from French, going back to Middle French, from servir "to serve entry 1" + -ette-ette
Note:
The borrowing is found earlier in Scots as serviot, servit.
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