A small, decorative mat made of lace or paper, often placed under dishes or ornaments to protect or decorate furniture.
Named after Mr. Doyle, an 18th-century London linen draper who sold these decorative cloths. The word is an eponym, where a person's name becomes attached to the object they're associated with.
Doilies are one of the few household objects named after the actual person who sold them—like how bandages are called 'Band-Aids'! Mr. Doyle probably never imagined his name would become the term for Victorian grandmothers' favorite decoration.
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