Possibly from Latin mappa 'cloth, napkin' — the earliest record is a 1496 naval inventory.
A bundle of thick strings or yarn attached to a handle, used for cleaning floors.
Of uncertain origin. Perhaps from earlier mappe 'cloth, towel,' from Latin mappa 'napkin, cloth,' or possibly from a Walloon dialect word. The earliest attestation is from a 1496 naval inventory. The verb 'to mop' followed around 1709. Key roots: mappa (Latin (possibly Punic): "cloth, napkin").