naperoun
Middle English
Alternative forms
- naperon, napperone, napron, naproun, naprun, naprune
- (with reanalysis) aperon, apron, haperon
Etymology
Borrowed from Old French napperon (“tablecloth”); related to nape (“tablecloth”). The initial n was frequently reinterpreted as part of the preceding article in this word.[1]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌ(n)aːp(ə)ˈruːn/, /ˌ(n)ap(ə)-/, /-ˈroːn/, /ˈ(n)aːp(ə)run/, /ˈ(n)ap(ə)run/
Noun
naperoun (plural naperouns)
- An apron or smock (garment worn over torso)[2]
- A bishop's apron; a short cassock.
Descendants
- English: apron
- Scots: apern, aupron, awpron
References
- Jordan, Richard (1974), Eugene Crook, transl., Handbook of the Middle English Grammar: Phonology (Janua Linguarum; 214), The Hague: Mouton & Co. N.V., DOI:, § 171, page 161.
- “nāprō̆n, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.