chaperon

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English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From French chaperon (hood), from Middle French, "head covering", from Old French chape.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

chaperon (plural chaperons)

  1. An adult who accompanies or supervises one or more young, unmarried men or women during social occasions, usually with the specific intent of preventing some types of social or sexual interactions or illegal behavior.
    • 1908, E. M. Forster, “I”, in A Room with a View:
      "I am, as it were," she concluded, "the chaperon of my young cousin, Lucy, and it would be a serious thing if I put her under an obligation to people of whom we know nothing. His manner was somewhat unfortunate. I hope I acted for the best."
  2. A type of hood, often ornamental or official, with an attached cape and a tail, later worn as a hat with the face hole put over the top of the head instead.
  3. A device placed on the foreheads of horses which draw the hearse in pompous funerals.

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

chaperon (third-person singular simple present chaperons, present participle chaperoning, simple past and past participle chaperoned)

  1. To accompany; to escort.
  2. To mother.

Translations[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old French, from chape (head covering) as the women who acted as chaperones wore head coverings. Equivalent to chape +‎ -eron. More at English cap, cape.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

chaperon m (plural chaperons)

  1. chaperon

Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Old French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From chape.

Noun[edit]

chaperon oblique singularm (oblique plural chaperons, nominative singular chaperons, nominative plural chaperon)

  1. a hairstyle popular in the Middle Ages
  2. headscarf for a woman
  3. (falconry) hood for a bird of prey
  4. type of sailing vessel