A napkin is a piece of cloth or paper you use to wipe your hands and mouth while eating. You might dab a napkin at the corner of your mouth after biting into a juicy peach, or use one to clean barbecue sauce off your fingers. Restaurants place napkins beside plates, and at home you might grab a paper napkin from a holder on the table.

Cloth napkins can be washed and reused many times, making them fancier and more environmentally friendly. Paper napkins are convenient for everyday meals and quick cleanups. Some people fold napkins into decorative shapes for special dinners, turning them into swans or fans.

Before napkins existed, people wiped their hands on bread, their sleeves, or the tablecloth itself!

People sometimes jot quick notes or doodle on paper napkins when no other paper is handy. Some famous ideas and inventions supposedly started as sketches on napkins during meals or coffee shop conversations.