Full Answer
What does the term apron mean?
noun. ˈā-prən. -pərn. often attributive. : a garment usually of cloth, plastic, or leather usually tied around the waist and used to protect clothing or adorn a costume.
What is the apron spelling?
apron. noun [ C ] /ˈeɪ.prən/ us. /ˈeɪ.prən/
What are aprons called in England?
A tabard (British English; cobbler apron in U.S. English) is a type of apron that covers both the front and back of the body.
What is the British way to say couch?
British EnglishAmerican EnglishCouch / Sofa / SetteeSofaHand Basin / SinkSinkRun the bathFill the tubBathBath tub20 more rows
What is the correct spelling belly?
noun, plural bel·lies.
How do British people spell esophagus?
Oesophagus: Alternate spelling for esophagus. The British have an oesophagus while Americans have an esophagus.
Is the word vignette French?
Vignette comes from the Middle French noun vigne, meaning "vine." In English, the word was first used in the early 17th century for a design or illustration that ran along the blank border of a page, or one that marked the beginning or end of a chapter.
What is white apron?
A white long coat or lab coat i.e. apron is worn by professionals in the medical field. This coat is made up of cotton, linen, polyester or a mixture of both and because of it, they can be washed at high temperatures and due to its white colour; it is easy to know whether they are clean or not.
What is the red apron?
Cook with Red Apron by Léon Bonvin. An apron is a garment that is worn over other clothing and covers mainly the front of the body. The word comes from old French napron meaning a small piece of cloth, however over time "a napron" became "an apron", a process in linguistics called rebracketing. It may have several different purposes ...
When did aprons become fashionable?
Early 19th century, apron from Podhale. Aprons became a fashion statement in the 1500s, when women started adorning them with expensive lace and embroidery. Politics ruled women's fashion in 1650s England when Oliver Cromwell decreed that women and girls should dress properly.
Why do domestic workers wear aprons?
When domestic workers are supplied a uniform by their employers, an apron is often included. The aprons are worn for hygienic as well as for identification purposes.
How are aprons held in place?
An apron is usually held in place by two ribbon-like strips of cloth that are tied at the back.
What is bungalow apron?
Bungalow apron. A bungalow apron is an item of women's at-home clothing. Most bungalow aprons were extremely simple garments, often with kimono sleeves (sleeves cut in one piece with the body of the dress), little or no trim, and the fewest possible fasteners.
Why do women wear apron?
However, prevailing social norms ensure that women frequently wear more delicate clothing, and may therefore be more likely to want the protection an apron offers. This can also be because the apron is the traditional clothing for cooking and washing dishes, which was usually done by women.
What is the apron worn by the bishop?
The term apron also refers to an item of clerical clothing, now largely obsolete, worn by Anglican bishops and archdeacons. The clerical apron resembles a short cassock reaching just above the knee, and is colored black for archdeacons and purple for bishops.
What is an apron?
Definition of apron. 1 : a garment usually of cloth, plastic, or leather usually tied around the waist and used to protect clothing or adorn a costume. 2 : something that suggests or resembles an apron in shape, position, or use: such as. a : the lower member under the sill of the interior casing of a window. ...
What is an apron for kids?
Kids Definition of apron. 1 : a piece of cloth worn on the front of the body to keep clothing from getting dirty. 2 : a paved area for parking or handling airplanes.
When did the apron replace napron?
The new form apron effectively replaced napron by the 17th century, which completely obscured the etymological relation of apron to napkin, the name of another protective cloth.
What is an apron?
Usually tying at the waist, an apron is a garment that protects the wearer’s clothing. ‘Apron’ comes from the Medieval French word ‘naperon’, meaning small tablecloth. Since this word was often mispronounced as ‘an apron’, in the 17 th Century, the garment eventually became known as an ‘apron’.
What is a French chef's apron?
Also known as the ‘French chef’s apron’, it covers the full length of the body usually to the mid-thigh or knees. Slipping over the neck and tying at the waist, bib aprons were first made from fabric scraps. Since the 1880s, this apron’s practical design and full coverage have made it an appealing choice for workers.
What was the apron style of the 1900s?
Bungalow Apron. During the early 1900s, the Bungalow was a popular apron style worn by housewives. As a simple garment, it often had kimono sleeves, no trim and few fasteners. This type of apron was designed to be worn as a standalone garment, not over other clothing.
What is a half apron?
The Waist Apron or Half Apron is a traditional kitchen apron which ties at the waist and extends to the mid-thigh. In the past, maids and housewives commonly wore this type of apron. It is now a popular choice for modern restaurants, cafés and bars.
Why are aprons important?
As a lasting symbol of hospitality, the humble apron will always have an important place in history and continue to do so today. Whether used for practical, decorative or ceremonial purposes, aprons have played a valuable role through the ages.
Why do housewives wear apron?
During this time, American housewives wore aprons to signify their dedication to their family. Whether worn to bake cookies, remove hot pans from the oven, carry in vegetables from the garden, dust furniture, or even signal to their children to come inside for dinner, the humble apron served many purposes.
What are the different types of aprons?
Throughout history, there have been many types of aprons used by maids, housewives, workers and even ancient goddesses. Bib, waist, cross back, pinafores, tabards and bungalow aprons are some of the most popular past and present styles. #1. Bib Apron.
What is an airport apron?
Airport apron refers to the area of an airport where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled, or boarded and looks like this: Image from airplane-pictures.net.
Why is the apron called the tablier?
Apron may be the result of a wrong translation from French vocabulary (France had an active role in aviation history). The circulation area of a bridge is named tablier ( roadway) in French. Actually tablier is used to designate many flat engineered surfaces (it comes from Latin tabula, table ).
What was the size of an airport in the early 1900s?
Waay back in the day, airports were simply 1/2 mile or 3/4 mile squares of flat grass-covered former farm field with a small terminal building in one corner. Planes landed & took off on the grass, and parked in front of the building to load & unload.
What is the French word for a parking area?
In French the airfield apron is aire de stationnement ( parking area) but tarmac is also common in medias.
Where did the word "apron" come from?
It seems that today popular apron came from the middle English word naperon, which comes from Old French word nape/nappe (which meant tablecloth) which come from the Latin word mappa ( which meant napkin). So easily we can see that the word apron a relative of the napkin and tablecloth. The apron had different uses across the time: decorative / fashion, symbolic / ceremonial, protective.
What was the purpose of the apron?
In Europe in Middle Ages, the apron was worn by a variety of people, tradesmen, housewives, blacksmiths, artisans, weapon and armour makers, fishmongers, furniture makers, masons and others with the purpose to protect their clothing and their flesh. A different colour of the apron was indicating the profession, that the person was in, although it wasn’t a rule: checkered apron for barbers, white apron for stonemasons, black apron for cobblers, blue striped apron for butchers, green apron for butlers, blue apron for gardeners. In Masonic Ceremonies the apron took many forms and designs.
What was the apron in 1950?
In the 1950, the apron became became popular again, and was seen as a symbol of home, and family. During this times the apron was advertised in magazines and most of the advertisements were relating the apron to home cooking and the work around the house. The half apron and two pieces apron became popular as well. Husbands were wearing barbecue aprons mostly on the weekends.
What was the apron used for in the 1800s?
The maids and servants aprons were supposed to be neat and clean, made from white cotton. They represented part of servants uniform and they were more sophisticated for the servants which were serving guests. The wealthy ladies, use to wear better quality and the most sophisticated aprons as a sign of family status in society and their commitment to family life. Popular apron materials were black lace, satin, silk or satin.
What are some add ons to an apron?
The most common add ons to an apron are: pockets, pen pocket, tea towel loop?
What was the French Foreign Legion's apron made of?
The French Foreign Legion was wearing leather aprons as part of their ceremonial uniform since early 1800. This is one of the few instances that the apron worn was a leather apron, usually the aprons were made out of fabric. The Apron got more beautiful with the time, from the small, simple piece of fabric, went to a better material, with embroidery, laces, varied colours and prints. A great help to the development of the apron and of the garment industry was the boom of factories and sewing machines.
What is an apron?
An apron is a garment worn at the front of the body, since ancient times, for practical, decorative, as well as ritualistic purposes. From the French word 'naperon,' meaning a small tablecloth, aprons have been worn to protect garments, and indicate status. Aprons can depict the rank or a group affiliation of the wearer ...
What does the apron represent?
The apron has long been a symbol of generosity and hospitality.
What are aprons made of?
Aprons can be made of cotton, muslin, linen, canvas, leather (a blacksmith), rubber, or lead (X-ray technician).
What is an apron in fashion?
An apron is a garment worn at the front of the body, since ancient times, for practical, decorative, as well as ritualistic purposes. From the French word 'naperon,' meaning a small tablecloth, ...
Why are aprons important?
Aprons remained a staple of the workplace as a means of protecting garments. Aprons were also worn as a kind of work uniform, and of course, by people who worked in the food trades—meat cutters, waitresses, and cooks as well as hairdressers and barbers.
Why do people wear aprons in paintings?
Paintings often show subjects wearing aprons to signify a specific type of work. Women are shown wearing aprons to depict warmth, practicality, homeyness, sentiment, and hospitality.
Why did stonemasons wear white aprons?
Stonemasons wore white aprons to protect their clothing from the white dust created by their tools on the stone. Cobblers wore black to protect garments from the black wax used on shoes. Butchers wore blue stripes. Butlers wore green aprons. Blue was commonly worn by weavers, spinners, and gardeners.
Where did the word "apron" come from?
The word “apron” comes from the French word naperon, which means tablecloth.
When did aprons become fashionable?
Wealthy individuals would never dream of performing any task that might sully their fine clothing. Aprons became a fashion statement in the 1500s, when women started adorning them with expensive lace and embroidery.
Why did women wear pinafore aprons?
Women would fashion aprons out of feed sacks to protect their clothing. Pinafore aprons, or “pinnies” as they were affectionately called, began to gain popularity in this part of the 20 th century. Dorothy famously wore a blue and white gingham pinafore in The Wizard of Oz.
How did Minoan women dress in 1600 BCE?
These ancient snake goddess figurines excavated in Crete depicted how Minoan women may have dressed in 1600 BCE: a tight bodice, bare breasts, and an embroidered or woven apron covering a long dress. Fabric was precious in Medieval and Renaissance eras.
When did the Hooverette apron come out?
The “Hooverette” or “Hoover apron” emerged in the 1910s , named after the man in charge of the U.S. Food Administration at the time, Herbert H. Hoover.
When were wraparound aprons popular?
This wraparound apron was popular into the 1920s when fancy half-aprons became the rage. Stores began selling patterns and kits to make and adorn aprons. Aprons became plain again during the Great Depression. Women would fashion aprons out of feed sacks to protect their clothing.
When did aprons become popular?
Terry cloth and permanent press aprons gained popularity in the 1970s. Novelty aprons with cute sayings emerged. Vintage aprons became the rage in the 80s while barbeque aprons made their debut. Logos began to appear on aprons in restaurants.
Overview
An apron is a garment that is worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body. The word comes from old French napron meaning a small piece of cloth, however over time "a napron" became "an apron", through a linguistics process called rebracketing. It may have several purposes, typically as a functional accessory that protects clothes and skin from stains and marks. However, oth…
Apron styles
There are many different apron forms depending on the purpose of the apron. A basic distinction is between waist aprons, which cover the body from the waist down, and bib aprons, which also cover the upper part of the body.
An apron is usually held in place by two ribbon-like strips of cloth that are tied at the back. A bib apron may either have a strap around the neck (perhaps the m…
Aprons in the home
The apron was traditionally viewed as an essential garment for anyone doing housework. Cheaper clothes and washing machines made aprons less common beginning in the mid-1960s in some countries such as the United States. However, the practice of wearing aprons remains strong in many places.
Today, the apron has enjoyed a minor renaissance in terms of both women and men now wearin…
Protective and fashionable aprons throughout history
Since fabric was precious in the medieval and Renaissance eras, aprons then were little more than scraps of material tied around the waist with the intent of protecting the valuable clothing underneath.
In Europe during the Middle Ages, aprons were worn by blacksmiths, armor and weapon makers, gardeners, carvers, furniture makers, leather smiths, cobblers…
Aprons in the United States
Aprons have been used in North America throughout its recorded history by both the Native Americans and later peoples. The kitchen apron fell somewhat out of favor in the 1960s after its rise to celebrity in the 1950s when it became the post-war symbol for family and domesticity. People started doing their work without an apron entirely or they choose to wear a bib apron (its unisex, simple…
See also
• Tabard
• Gymslip
• Jumper (dress)
• Romper suit
External links
• History of Aprons