'map' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'mappa,' where 'mappa' meant 'napkin' or 'cloth.'

'mappa' transformed into the Medieval Latin word 'mappa mundi,' meaning 'map of the world,' and eventually became the modern English word 'map.'

Initially, it meant 'a piece of cloth,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a representation of an area.'