Hand Towel? Dish Towel? Kitchen Towel?

I have been having a real long debate with myself over this. What is the difference between a hand towel, a kitchen towel, a dish towel, or even a tea towel? I grew up with dish towels in the kitchen at home and hand towels in the bath room. I don’t think I ever met a kitchen towel and a tea towel was never mentioned.

Why am I curious? Well, I have handwoven cotton towels that could be used as hand towels in the bath, dish towels in the pantry, kitchen towels in the kitchen, or tea towels in the parlor, and I don’t know which to call them.

Does the size of the towel make the difference, maybe the type of material it is woven from, or is it location, location, location? I’m curious about what the rest of the world calls them. Take a look at the cotton towels I weave and let me know what you would name them.

I look forward to your comments!

Vila