Lilian's Tree

I know some of my friends think that I'm strange as I iron things and one of the things I iron is the humble hankie. This got me thinking about where the hankie came from and I did a search of Wikipedia, to find out. A handkerchief / ˈ h æ ŋ k ər tʃ ɪ f / (also called a hanky or, historically, a handkercher ) is a form of a kerchief , typically a hemmed square of thin fabric or paper which can be carried in the pocket or handbag , and which is intended for personal hygiene purposes such as wiping one's hands or face, or blowing one's nose . A handkerchief is also sometimes used as a purely decorative accessory in a suit pocket, it is then called a pocket square . It is also an important accessory in many folkdances in many regions like the Balkans and the Middle East ; an example of a folkdance using handkerchiefs is Kalamatianos . Origin Before people used the word handkerchief, the word kerchief alone was common. This term came from two French words: couvri...