From Medieval Latin 'mappa mundi' (cloth of the world) — named for the cloth maps were drawn on.
A diagrammatic representation of an area of land or sea showing physical features, cities, roads, or other details.
From Medieval Latin 'mappa mundi' meaning 'sheet of the world,' from Latin 'mappa' meaning 'napkin, cloth, tablecloth' — because early maps were drawn on cloth. The Latin 'mappa' is itself a loanword, possibly from Punic (Carthaginian Phoenician), as the Roman writer Quintilian noted that 'mappa' was not a native Latin word. The English word is a shortening of the full phrase 'mappa mundi,' with the cloth-word becoming the word for the thing drawn on it. Key roots: mappa (Latin: "cloth, napkin
The word 'map' comes from 'mappa' (napkin/cloth) because early maps were drawn on cloth — but the French word for tablecloth, 'nappe,' comes from the same Latin word through a different phonological path. So 'map' and 'napkin' are distant cousins, both descended from the same piece of cloth.