Facecloth

/ˈfeɪsklɔːθ/ noun

Definition

A small cloth used for washing and drying your face, often soft and absorbent.

Etymology

Compound of 'face' (Old English 'fæce', from Latin 'facies') and 'cloth' (from Old English 'clāth'). The term became standard in English for everyday bathroom items around the 19th century.

Kelly Says

The humble facecloth is called a 'flannel' in British English but 'washcloth' in American English—the same object has completely different names depending on where you learned English, which shows how regional languages develop their own vocabulary!

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