*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of map

Shortening or back-formation of Middle English mappemounde, mapemounde (“world map”), from Old French mapamonde, from Medieval Latin mappa mundī, compound of Latin mappa (“napkin, cloth”) and mundus (“world”). See mop fo

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To represent by means of a map. · To create a map of; to examine or survey in order to gather information for a map. · To have a direct relationship; to correspond. · To create a direct relationship to; to create a correspondence with.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Shortening or back-formation of Middle English mappemounde, mapemounde (“world map”), from Old French mapamonde, from Medieval Latin mappa mundī, compound of Latin mappa (“napkin, cloth”) and mundus (“world”). See mop for more on the first component. Doublet of mop, nape, and nappe.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "3": "mappemounde"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English mappemounde"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "mapamonde"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French mapamonde"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "mappa mundī"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin mappa mundī"
    },
    {
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        "3": "mappa",
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      },
      "expansion": "Latin mappa (“napkin, cloth”)"
    },
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      "name": "doublet",
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        "4": "nappe",
        "id2": "tablecloth"
      },
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    }
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      "mapemounde#Middle_English"
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      "mapamonde",
      "mapamonde#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "mappa mundī",
      "mappa mundi#Latin"
    ],
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      "mappa",
      "mappa#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "mundus",
      "mundus#Latin"
    ],
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      "mop",
      "mop#English"
    ],
    [
      "mop",
      "mop#English"
    ],
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      "nape",
      "nape#English:_tablecloth"
    ],
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      "nappe",
      "nappe#English"
    ]
  ],
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      "lang_code": "sv",
      "word": "mappa",
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      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To represent by means of a map.",
        "To create a map of; to examine or survey in order to gather information for a map.",
        "To have a direct relationship; to correspond.",
        "To create a direct relationship to; to create a correspondence with."
      ],
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        "intransitive"
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Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A visual representation of an area, whether real or imaginary, showing the relative positions of places and other features. · A graphical or logical representation of any structure or system, showing the positions of or relationships between its components. · A function, especially a function satisfying a certain property (e.g. continuity, linearity, etc.; see Usage notes). · Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genera Araschnia (especially, Araschnia levana) and Cyrestis, having map-like markings on the wings.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Shortening or back-formation of Middle English mappemounde, mapemounde (“world map”), from Old French mapamonde, from Medieval Latin mappa mundī, compound of Latin mappa (“napkin, cloth”) and mundus (“world”). See mop for more on the first component. Doublet of mop, nape, and nappe.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "mappemounde"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English mappemounde"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "mapamonde"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French mapamonde"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-med",
        "3": "mappa mundī"
      },
      "expansion": "Medieval Latin mappa mundī"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "mappa",
        "t": "napkin, cloth"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin mappa (“napkin, cloth”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "mop",
        "3": "nape",
        "4": "nappe",
        "id2": "tablecloth"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of mop, nape, and nappe"
    }
  ],
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    ],
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    ],
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      "mapamonde",
      "mapamonde#Old_French"
    ],
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      "mappa mundī",
      "mappa mundi#Latin"
    ],
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      "mappa",
      "mappa#Latin"
    ],
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      "mundus",
      "mundus#Latin"
    ],
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      "mop",
      "mop#English"
    ],
    [
      "mop",
      "mop#English"
    ],
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      "nape",
      "nape#English:_tablecloth"
    ],
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      "nappe",
      "nappe#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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      "lang": "Irish",
      "lang_code": "ga",
      "word": "mapa",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
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  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A visual representation of an area, whether real or imaginary, showing the relative positions of places and other features.",
        "A graphical or logical representation of any structure or system, showing the positions of or relationships between its components.",
        "A function, especially a function satisfying a certain property (e.g. continuity, linearity, etc.; see Usage notes).",
        "Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genera Araschnia (especially, Araschnia levana) and Cyrestis, having map-like markings on the wings."
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

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Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bWFw